Transcription in progress.

*No Transcription Available.

1) For a long time, I despised LED headlights. Driving against them was like looking at the sun. I'd have just as much luck driving by feel. And that ALWAYS goes well.

2) But then I put LED headlights onto my '01 Sport Trac. I may just have to eat my words!

3) Here’s what we’re installing today. Everything is plug and play. Headlights, fog lights, taillights, turn signals, and reverse lights.

4) Let’s start with the taillights. There’s three 10mm bolts holding the housing to the bed. Then the housing will slide out and the bulbs can be twisted to remove. A quick bulb swab and everything goes back together. Gaah, ah!, those are bright!!!

5) The Sport Trac has red tinted taillight housings. Obviously. So why did I even get red LEDs? The right has the red LED and the left has the white LED. While it’s hard to see on camera, in person the left white LED creates a more orange-ish color. I prefer the deep red of the right side.

6) So we got LEDs installed in both headlights and turn signals, but there’s still one thing I don’t really like about this setup. That is these lenses, and how it creates this circle. This is because they’re all corroded and crappy and can’t be cleaned. Don’t do it! It looks tacky!

7) To fix the tacky, I got new headlight housings. I went with the black look to better match the accents on the Sport Trac.

8) Pop open the headlight cover and remove the screw for the side marker housing. Pull the housing out, remove the bulb, and set it off to the side.

9) Pull up on the two tabs at the back of the mount plate. Pull the headlight housing forward and disconnect the connector.

10) Yeah, the old housings are quite bad.

11) Reinstall everything in reverse order. Adjust the headlights per your owner’s manual.

12) Such a cleaner look, don’tcha think? No more tacky circle!

13) Let’s compare the lights at night while driving.

14) HOLY CRAP!!!!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!!! There’s no competition here!

15) I am blown away by these plug n play lights! It’s like I just turned on my light bar!

16) Look at me. Look at me. I’m the sun now!

1) Did you see that? *video rewinds* Look closely. *video pauses* That right there is wheel hop. It’s not good for burnouts. Fortunately, there’s a way to fix it. We need to replace the rear control arms to solve the wheel hop.

2) Wheel hop happens because of worn rubber bushings in the control arms. Rubber is great for comfort, but as it deteriorates, it creates more play. During a burnout, this allows the wheel to gain traction, try to push forward, and jump up as the only way to go. This quick cycle causes a “hop” effect. Shaky Shaky = Breaky Breaky.

3) *So basically we have instructions – Oooooo, a sticker! That’s better than peanuts! And then we have our lower control arms. Fully adjustable on both ends. These little parts here are just all the bushings for the bolts. This is the big important part. I guess while we’re at it we can replace the upper control arm, and the bushing as well.

4) Raise the rear of the vehicle. Lower the rear axle, but don’t let it hang. Once the control arms are removed, the axle will move around freely. Keep the jack underneath the differential to help with movement.

5) Disconnect the parking brake cable by pulling the end up and out of the bracket. Then remove the lower clip holding it to the housing. Feed the cable back through the hole in the control arm.

6) Remove the front and rear bolt on the control arm and remove it from the mounts.

7) With the control arms out, we can see exactly what was causing the wheel hop. All that cracking and deforming was allowing too much play in the system.

8) The new control arms need to be preset to the length of the factory control arms. Spin both ends out evenly, keeping the body of the control arm centered. I used the bolts as alignment pins once the length was set. Snug down the locking nuts.

9) One of the bolt bushings is longer than the others. The mounts on the Mustang are not in line with each other, so the control arm has to be offset to ride straight. The offset bushing goes into the rear mount, facing inside.

10) Reinstall the control arm bolts and double check the locking nuts. Don’t forget to reinstall the parking brake cable. A zip tie can be used to secure the cable to the side of the control arm.

11) Ok, onto the upper control arm. The control arm bolts have nuts that need to be counter held.

12) Again, support the front of the differential with a floor jack or jack stand. Once the upper control arm is out, the whole axle will want to rotate.

13) I apologize in advance for the camera work for this part. There’s not much space to see, at some points my head and the camera had to occupy the same space. Doesn’t work very well…

14) The mount bolts will have to be removed to give enough clearance for removal of the front arm bolt. There are two on the rear of the mount and one inside the cabin under the rear seats.

15) Removing the rear seat base is as simple as pressing in the plastic tab on each side, and pulling straight up. Then the seat will pull forward and be able to be removed. Then remove the bolt for the mount.

16) Now the front arm bolt can be removed and the whole control arm removed.

17) This is the worst bushing I found. Should have been replaced before last Race Week! Anyway, here’s the new control arm. The poly bushing in front is stronger and deflects less than the rubber. Should stiffen up nicely!

18) Reinstall everything in reverse order. Don’t forget the grease fitting for the front poly bushing. But what about the differential bushing?

19) These bushings are pressed in from the factory. The new poly bushing will use the existing housing. So, we have to separate the rubber from the housing.

20) The simplest way to remove it is with a hole-saw. Keep it as straight as possible, to prevent damage to the housing. Depending on how deep your hole-saw is, you may have to drill from both sides. The bushing should slide right out after that.

21) There will be leftover rubber material that needs to be cleaned out before installing the poly busing. A wire wheel does the job quite well.

22) Put some grease on the new bushing before installing. Putting the bushing in the freezer for ½ hour before hand will make installing easier. Depending on how clean the housing is, a C-clamp may also be needed to press the bushing in. I apologize for not having any footage of the install.

23) Moment of truth!

1) This is a mess. It really is! I should fix that. It needs to be organized. I’ll do that – with this nice new workbench.

2) In the past, whenever I needed a work bench, I just used this folding table. But, it sucks. So, I’m tired of using it. And that’s where this thing comes in.

3) Like I said, I need better workspace. I quickly sketched up a drawing of what I was thinking, and set the overall height to match my other tool cart. Other than that, I’m completely winging it.

4) Now, I am a mechanic by trade and a welder by schooling. Everything I know about woodwork is self-taught. Keep that in mind when you see me do some weird stuff.

5) The majority of this is made from regular 2x4s. I started with the base, cutting two lengths at 21 inches and two at 44 inches. I cut notches about 3 ½ inches from each end. That’s approximately the width of a normal 2x4. Then I cut down to the notch from the ends, using a Sawzall where the circular saw couldn’t reach.

6) This allowed all four edges to nestle into each other and create a “level” base. I liked this layout so much I made another one for the top support.

7) Ok, onto the legs. These would be 33 3/8 inches long. Each leg would consist of 2 – 2x4s screwed together in an L – shape, basically triangulating each corner and making them rigid.

8) I installed each leg one at a time with one screw each. Then I could flip the whole thing over and add more screws, squaring the legs to the base.

9) This was also a great time to add the 3-inch casters to the base.

10) With the unit flipped back over, I can add the top support. The quick grinding was for the screws poking through the top.

11) Just like the base, two screws attach the legs square to the top support.

12) The top cover is 24 inches by 48 inches. The overhangs on each side will allow me to clamp stuff to the top. Also makes it easy to square up. Some more screws through the top support into the top give it a clean, screwless surface.

13) So, we kind of made a mess, but here’s out mostly finished product. The shelves are just attached by a beam across the back, on the sides, the back support, and a little front kick stand. It’s designed so the screws around the edge there can be pulled out, and the drawers – not drawers, shelves – can come out top and bottom. All that’s left now is to seal this top piece.

14) This is a Red Oak top. I’m going to use this PolyShades here with this kind of American Chestnut. Should give us kind of a nice red color.

15) This stuff is a stain and polyurethane mix, giving a nice color while sealing the top. This will prevent any oil or other stuff I spill from soaking into the top. I applied to coats to the surface.

16) Here’s the finished work bench for now. With Summer 2022 lumber prices, this project cost around $200. The Red Oak top is almost half of that cost, so there are ways to make this cheaper.

17) I’m not planning to stain the legs. Eventually I will add some sort of covers to the sides, possibly pegboard, to close the shelves in and increase the functionality. That stuff will be in a future video.

18) All loaded up and fits over here pretty nicely. Still need to do some more rearranging, but I think it will work out well.

1) T: So I’ve been thinking –

2) G: That’s dangerous.

3) T: Well yes, but this is a good idea!

4) G: Ok, what you got?

5) T: I think we should change the name of the channel.

6) G: Why in the world would we do that?

7) T: Well, why did we call it Rooster Life TV in the first place?

8) G: I wanted a place where we could dump any film project we were working on, kind of catchall of a window into what we do for fun. As for the “Rooster” part, well our last name is German for Rooster. Just don’t keep translating it, it gets weird pretty quick!

9) T: Right. But you know what we’ve mostly done on this channel?

10) G: Automotive stuff?

11) T: Exactly! I think we should change the name to better reflect that.

12) G: I’ll bite. What did you have in mind?

13) T: Well, first I thought, Rooster Garage. But there’s already a few channels out there with that name, and I want to avoid that confusion. Now, you started a fabrication business recently, right?

14) G: Yeah, Solo Rooster Fabrications. What does that have to do with this?

15) T: What if we based the new channel name off of that?

16) G: Well I don’t want to copy the name exactly, I’d like some separation.

17) T: Right. I was thinking we use the Solo Rooster part!

18) G: But there’s two of us.

19) T: I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that. Anyway. Solo Rooster Automotive? Nah, too many syllables. Solo Rooster Shop? Doesn’t roll off the tongue well. Solo Rooster –

20) G: Garage.

21) G: Ok, we changed the name. Now what?

22) T: We make some new merch, update the website, and keep doing what we’ve been doing.

23) G: Sweet! What should we do to celebrate?

24) T: It’s the 4th of July – wanna blow some stuff up?

1) Yeah, seems extra bumpy. I should fix that!

2) Every vehicle needs suspension to be comfortable. Just having a spring is not the solution. Every bump would cause residual bouncing, giving you the look of a bobble head. That’s where shocks and struts come in. These resist the spring movement in both directions, smoothing out the ride.

3) This 2007 Ford Mustang GT is 15 years old, with 130k miles. As far as I can tell, the shocks and struts have never been replaced. As shocks wear, their ability to dampen lessens. Common signs of this are the ride becoming super firm and juttery or extra bouncy.

4) Another common sign is fluid leaking from the shock. This was the issue with the air shocks I installed last year. Now the Mustang’s front struts are showing signs of leaking as well. Let’s throw some new parts on!

5) A shock and a strut are basically the same thing. They both have a rod that is dampened by fluid flowing through a restriction. A shock is designed to work separately from the spring. A Strut is designed to have the spring mount around the outside of the shock body, with the load being transferred through the shock body.

6) Strut assemblies are commonly used in place of upper control arms. This creates a simplified suspension setup. Some would argue that this makes the car less stable when cornering, but I’m not here to rant about engineers. We’re setting up for ¼ mile drag racing anyway – no turns necessary!

7) Since my air shock video covered replacing rear shocks, I’m not going to show that here. There’s a link up here in the corner to the video.

8) The front struts will come out as one assembly. Start by removing the front wheel. Disconnect any wires near the strut assembly. There are two bolts to remove on the spindle, one nut for the sway bar, and four nuts on top of the strut tower.

9) An impact may not work to remove the sway bar nut. If that’s the case, then the center shaft of the joint must be held while removing the nut.

10) Move the hub assembly down until the strut assembly can be removed. It’s a good idea to support the rotor assembly with a floor jack.

11) Now the strut is removed we can get to the dangerous part. We will be using a spring compressor. Improper use of this tool can cause injury. Don’t be that idiot!

12) This is a two-piece compressor. Alternate tightening each side until the top strut mount is free to move. Remove the nut and mount, then pull the compressed spring off the old strut.

13) Remove this holding wire before installing the new parts. Install the spring onto the new strut. The top mount will line up a certain way. Install the top mount and tighten the nut BEFORE releasing the compressed spring. Again, alternate loosening the spring compressor, making sure the spring is seated properly in the base.

14) Here’s the mark on the top mount for proper alignment. The arrow points to the outside of the vehicle, which also lines up with the lower strut mounts. Reinstall the strut in reverse of removal. You may need to start threading the top nuts to help hold everything in place.

15) With everything reinstalled, take a test drive.

16) I don’t know how this looks on camera, but I definitely feed the difference in the shocks. These are a little bit smoother and more responsive, car feels tighter. I like it!

Transcription in progress.

1) The other day I found a nail in the tire on the Sport Trac. So I did a simple plug job. When I drove it the next day, I thought I was driving a Jeep! I had never felt a death wobble until this point!

2) I checked all my suspension parts, including the tie rods, ball joints, and the steering rack itself. Nothing stood out being wrong. I also checked the fluid level on the power steering, nothing wrong there either.

3) So I had to turn to the all-powerful Google for help.

4) Dogs may not be the best internet search companions.

5) Anyway I found a forum that described the issue perfectly. Apparently, turning the front wheels by hand without the engine running the power steering pump allows for air to get into the system. I did this during the tire repair. The solution is to bleed the air out by turning lock to lock multiple times with the engine running.

6) Would you look at that, the death wobble is gone! The slight shaking still present is the mud tires themselves, which have never balanced out properly, no matter what I tried.

7) But I wanted to put this theory to the test. And to prove no trickery involved, I filmed it all. The engine is off and the wheels are being turned lock to lock twice. This next part is sped up to not waste any of your time driving to the test road. 3, 2, 1, highway speed, go!

8) Oh wow, this is worse than before! I can’t even keep the Sport Trac straight on the road!

9) So what’s the moral of the story here? If the front wheels need to be turned when the engine is off, the power steering system needs to be bled of any air. Thanks engineers.

1) Ever since I made the Sport Trac door handle replacement video, there have been multiple comments asking about or telling me about a metal door handle option, instead of this cheap plastic.

2) After some searching, I finally found the door handles everyone was talking about.

3) These things got some heft! The handle part is exactly like the plastic ones, except metal. I don’t think these will break anytime soon. Though they will be colder in the winter…

4) I’m not going to rehash the door handle install video. It stands well on by itself. I’ll use this video to cover some points not mentioned before and answer some comments from it.

5) Someone commented on needing more light inside the door. Here ya’ go. This is the front passenger door. These are the back side of the factory rivets. Here’s that pesky yellow latch for the lever.

6) Someone asked if they could use their fingers instead of a pick to open the latch. As far as I know, this latch has never been opened. 20 year old plastic doesn’t like to budge with pudgy fingers.

7) The point where these plastic handles fail is right at the joint of the handle to the lever.

8) Sometimes drilling rivets doesn’t work. It always happens in places a normal grinding wheel can’t go. In those times, you need one of these carbide bit thingys.

9) I could find some color match paint like the factory handles. But I like the black accent to the door. Adds some definition. I found these metal handles on eBay, and later saw them on Amazon. Links to both are down below.

10) Be sure to check out the full handle install video! Thanks for watching!

T+G Skit needing jump

1) One item that every vehicle should have with it is a set of jumper cables. Not only will this help you out when your battery dies, but you can also go help others when theirs dies.

2) Jumper cables are simple to use. Hook one side to the supply vehicle battery positive and negative terminals. Hook the other side to the dead battery positive and vehicle ground.

3) Having a good set of cables with proper wire thickness is very important. Better to be over thick than under. Low tier cables try to trick you with a thicker sheathing covering a small wire. The smaller wires will heat up and can melt or even catch fire. If that happens, a dead battery will be the least of your problems!

4) Today’s project is more of a convenience than a necessity. It came about because I’m a bit lazy. I’m going to walk you through modifying the cables for easier connections with these Quick Disconnects.

5) This project is useful for those who have a quick disconnect installed on the front or rear of the vehicle. I have both because my winch is hot swappable.

6) The lazy factor is me not wanting to open the hood any time I need to use cables. First world problems, I know!

7) Let’s get into it. This is my nice set of cables. I really only have to chop the clamps off one side of the assembly. But I’m going to do both, for that one person I may meet that also has a quick disconnect.

8) I’m leaving about 8 inches of wire on the clamps themselves. This way I can put another disconnect end on them and have a “normal” jumper cable. Oops, that was dumb. Shoulda marked the cables before cutting!

9) Trim off the insulation about ½-3/4 inch. Stick the end into the terminal end and crimp it down. A cable crimper is ideal; a hammer and chisel or vise will work as well. Put some heat shrink over the end to keep them clean and give it some strength.

10) Stick the terminal end into the quick disconnect plug. The lip on the terminal needs to be facing the spring inside the plug. Once the terminal is pushed in far enough, the spring will click and lock the terminal in place. The disconnects are usually marked positive and negative. Don’t get your wires crossed!

11) These quick disconnects are a standard size, so they should work across manufacturers. Don’t quote me on that though, manufacturers do some really weird stuff.

12) And there you have it! A completely unnecessary but useful jumper cable upgrade! Thanks for watching, hopefully you don’t need to be jumped!

1) A couple weeks ago, I was asked to build some carts to hold tenor drums for the local high school. They wanted them out of aluminum square tubing.

2) They had a basic design they wanted to start with. Eventually we settled on this current design. The drum would be more centered on the cart, making it stable. The math said each cart would take about 12 feet of tubing.

3) I shot over to the metal supplier in the wee hours of the morning before I had to be at my full-time job. The supplier had the tubing in lengths of 21 feet. I picked up about 50 feet in case there were any mishaps.

4) Who needs a trailer when you have a roof rack? Putting the utility to work in Sport Utility Truck.

5) Now I needed to start cutting. I don’t have any fancy band saws or large-scale chop saws. All I got is this 7 ½ saw with a blade made for cutting aluminum. And it did surprisingly well, with no big hang-ups.

6) Ok, time to turn this pile of tubes into a cart. I did mock one up earlier to test fit on the tenor drum. Everything clears with room to spare. Start the time lapse!

7) All three carts are welded. I’ll add the casters quick and then we can test these things out.

8) A tenor drum weighs anywhere from 30-50 pounds. So, if the cart can hold me, it can hold the tenors no problem. And it’ll hold most students that will ride this as I am now. I know this because I was that student!

9) If there’s something you want to see be build, let me know in the comments! Thanks for watching, and tune in next time!

1) In a previous video, I showed how I can use my winch in a pinch off the rear receiver hitch. But what if I get stuck in a ditch butt first? How do I get the winch on the back?

2) The correct answer is, I don’t. I instead use the front receiver hitch. I’ll walk you through what I did to make this happen.

3) The simple method would have been to buy this receiver from Curt Towing, premade and ready to go.

4) But I wasn’t sure it would fit my specific Sport Trac. Mine has a 3-inch body lift installed. This causes the front bumper cover to sit higher than normal on the frame, which leads to clearance issues with tow hooks and stuff.

5) When I bought the Sport Trac years ago with the body lift already installed, there were no tow hooks present. I went down to the local junk yard and found a set. When I went to put them on, the bumper cover plastic was in the way. That’s when I decided to make the hooks fit. Hindsight being 20/20, I could have done a better job on the trimming.

6) Anyway, what’s done is done. Back to what we were talking about. I’m making my own front receiver hitch.

7) A receiver tube can be found on Amazon for less than $20 depending on the length. I also got this rusty scrap piece of ½ inch by 4-inch steel bar, cut to the length of the inside frame.

8) The bolt pattern spacing was easy to figure out. It’s Approximately 22-5/8 inches center to center, with 3 inches between the bolts center to center. A drill press makes easy work of cutting holes.

9) I need to pull the bull bar off before I can install the steel bar. I probably shouldn’t lay under it as I remove it…

10) Ok, now we can get the steel bar in place and figure out our receiver tube depth. I’d like the face to be almost flush with the lower lip of the cover, which means I need to take about 2 inches out of the back end.

11) Ok, let’s tack this together. I’ve centered the tube on the bar, with just enough overhang off the back to clear the radiator pack. I’m going to use non-shielded flux core for this job.

12) Non-shielded flux core is kind of a quick and dirty way to weld. There’s no shielding gas like in normal MIG welding, so flux core will weld hotter. The shielding comes from a flux inside the wire, which melts out to the top of the weld. It cools into a hard slag on top. The slag must be removed to see the weld underneath.

13) There’s also lots of spatter with flux core. Some of it can be reduced with the correct welder settings. Splatter can be knocked off with a chipping hammer or a grinder.

14) This first pass wasn’t super great. There was a large crevasse to fill where the tube edge bends, and filling gaps can be tricky. I’m going to grind the weld flat and make a second pass over the top.

15) The second pass was a bit better, but still not super great. We do have penetration into each piece though, so these welds will hold. I think some more grinding and painting will make this look pretty.

16) Something to note: When welding large pieces and putting large amounts of heat into an object, it can warp when it cools. This happens because the weld starts out as a hot puddle, and as it cools, it shrinks, pulling the surrounding material with it. This can be counteracted by welding a piece of angle perpendicular to the weld. The angle can then be cut off after welding is finished.

17) If you don’t have the angle (or forgot it like I did), you could stick the part in a hydraulic press to bend it back flat.

18) Let’s fit this receiver hitch up with the bull bar and see how it all looks. The front of the hitch comes out about where I wanted it. Nice and stealthy.

19) All that’s left is to make a piece that mounts into the receiver to hold the original brush guard part of the bull bar. That’ll make the hitch disappear and no one will be the wiser. Except if you watch this video… Hmmm…

20) I also need to redo some clearance for the tow hooks. But those aren’t as important anymore since the hitch can now be used as a tow point.

21) Now we can run the wire for the winch, using the same Anderson plug connector as we did on the rear. This will make the winch hot-swappable.

1) The automotive YouTube scene has been raving about what’s in this bag. So I decided to jump on the band wagon as well.

2) A good thing to have when on the trails is a way to inflate or deflate your tires. The simplest method is a pocket screwdriver and a cheap 12 volt compressor.

3) The popular trend right now is to install a compressor into the engine bay. Then create a fancy four-way hose assembly to inflate or deflate the tires simultaneously. This setup is pretty neat. But I’m gonna be different. Ish.

4) To start off, I’m going to install a pressure cutoff switch to the compressor. This will shut it off when it reaches 120 psi and turn back on at 90 psi. This way it won’t blow itself up if the line gets plugged.

5) There are four screws around this plastic cover and to in the center. Removing this gives access to the wiring and plumbing guts.

6) The pressure switch needs to be put in line with the main switch to control the power. I’ll run the ends of the wires out of the pipe hole in the cover.

7) The factory hose needs to come off to allow for the manifold to be installed. This three-port manifold will allow for the pressure switch, a pressure gauge, the original hose, and another hose fitting to be installed. Yes, that’s four things. This “three-port” manifold is really a five-port. Each end has a plug that can be removed and used as another port hole.

8) This should work well. I’m going to install a ball valve for the original hose. This will let me use the other hose fitting without losing all the air out the original hose.

9) With the compressor connected to the battery, we can see how the pressure switch works.

10) The only spot left in the Sport Trac engine bay is the factory air cleaner spot. I only have this spot because I did some hi-tech PVC work rerouting the air cleaner over a year ago. My original plan was to mount a second battery here, but this will be more useful.

11) Three tabs are welded to the factory bracket. I was careful to keep the factory holes free to use and gave enough lift for the engine side to clear that coolant hose.

12) The fourth tab will be a separate piece of angle that runs down and bolts to the frame.

13) The fitment works, so time for final welding and paint. Ooooo shiiiiny!!!!

14) To secure the compressor to the bracket I decided to use rivet nuts. These things are great and let you put a nut pretty much wherever you can fit it. You’ll never drop your nuts again!

15) Here’s a quick mockup of the compressor mounted. There’s not much space to see it once it’s installed into the engine bay.

16) With all the mounting bolts hand tight, I can now drill holes for the frame bracket. This bracket will prevent the compressor from sagging into that coolant hose.

17) Yeah, that’s nice and tight! No wiggle here! Plenty of clearance! Time to run some wire!

18) Even with the non-level mounting, the compressor still looks clean and doesn’t have any protrusions.

19) For now, I’ve run the wire along the top of the radiator. Quick, close your eyes for this part! Ewww, DON’T look at that wiring mess! That really needs to be fixed…

20) T: I think we need to test this air compressor.

21) G: Hey! What did you do?

22) T: I’m testing the air compressor!

23) G: No no no no no! Next time, use this valve core tool. Idiot!

24) G: Let’s race compressors. My new one versus that old dinky one!

25) T:No way! Your’s is going to win hand over hand!

26) G: That’s not my problem, you decided to stab the tire.

27) T: Sigh, Fine. But I get the head start!

28) G: Fine, you can get the head start. I’ll be right over here waiting.

29) G: 3, 2, 1, Start!

30) G: 3, 2, 1, now I start!

31) G: HA! I win! Loser!!!

32) T: It’s not fair.

1) Oh, yeah, you know, talking trash and stuff he goes, “My preferred pronoun for the rest of the year is Champion.”

2) Chalmers

3) Well here in the shop today, working on the Monte Slo-lo. He’s got this LS engine in here (running 14 second quarter miles) How fast? (14.054) It’s so slow, he has to put a turbo on it, to even go sorta fast. (We might break into the 13s) Look, there’s a turbo right there!

4) Corey from T-Top Speed Shop hit me up to do some aluminum welding for his turbo build on the Monte Carlo. But before I could do my magic, we had to get the hot side all figured out. We need to connect this part of the turbo to the exhaust manifold over here. And like all easy things, the angles we needed were not simple.

5) It was at this point Corey realized he should have gotten longer Sawzall blades.

6) A plasma cutter is the closest thing to a lightsaber we could find. It makes notching out the hole for the wastegate a breeze.

7) Ok, now we have the feed piping and wastegate done. We need to do this big 4-inch exhaust pipe here. Maybe he’s compensating for something? All I know is, we had to do some triangle math.

8) We wanted to figure out what height to cut the pipe to make this 45-degree bend work. 22.5 is half of 45. Take the tangent of 22.5 multiplied by the diameter of the pipe, and that gave us 1.6568 inches, or 1 21/32 inches from the base of the cut.

9) The intercooler had to be mocked up to figure out the bends we need. Yes, it’s upside down from normal installs. Corey wanted shorter piping to the cooler. Corey gets what Corey wants!

10) Because of the tight fitment, one end of the intercooler had to be shortened into a tight 90. Those tacks are boogered together, but it holds, and that’s what counts.

11) I’d spend the next three hours welding and waiting for the aluminum to cool.

12) You know, for how cruddy the pie-cuts were, and how thin the aluminum piping is, these welds turned out ok.

13) To top it off, I ran out of argon right after I finished the last weld. How’s that for timing?

14) All that’s left is to install the mount tabs and connect all the silicone joints.

15) We got a lot done in a day and a half. And we had fun doing it! You can follow more of this build on Facebook or YouTube by searching T-Top Speed Shop. I’ll also post links below. Thanks for watching, and go give some attention to your own build!

1) If you want to be really annoying, this is one of the best ways to do it.

2) I need to make sure this 15 dollar speaker works. Yep, sounds like it.

3) To maximize the annoyingness, the speaker needs to be hidden from outside view. The Wagon engine bay is pretty well packed. I think it’ll fit nicely in this pocket in front of the washer fluid tank.

4) A few zip ties around the frame rail will hold it forever.

5) Now I just gotta snake the wire up through this tiny gap…. There we go!

6) I’m going to run the wire alongside the hood release cable and through this grommet.

7) The wire will come out in front of this relay block and run across the lower dash panel and over to the center console, plugging into the CB radio. Let’s test this out.

8) T: (distorted) No one’s hit the subscribe button, sir!

9) G: What are you trying to say?

10) T: (still distorted) No one’s hit the – No one’s hit the subscribe button, sir!

11) G: What?

12) T: (little clearer) No one’s hit the subscribe button, sir!

13) G: Put that microphone down!

14) T: No one’s hit the subscribe button, sir!

15) G: Talk normally! (walks away)

16) This PA is actually really nice and clear. I’m gonna have to test it against the other one I have in the truck. Hmmm

17) This is max volume. It’s not as good as the Wagon…

Transcription in Progress!

Transcription in Progress!

1) Regular maintenance is key to keeping your vehicle on the road. It can also prevent larger problems down the road.

2) One of these regular maintenances is the transmission service. In an automatic transmission, there is fluid in the transmission housing and the torque converter. When the engine is running, one of the torque converters functions is to pump fluid around the transmission. There are two basic ways to change this fluid.

3) The first and recommended by most is the full fluid flush. Basically, you hook a pump machine up to the transmission cooler lines. As the vehicle is running, the old fluid is drained out and new fluid is pumped back in.

4) But one of those machines is expensive to own personally. So we’re going to do option 2.

5) Option 2 is draining the fluid from the pan and pumping new fluid in by hand.

6) Today we are going to service the transmission on the Wagon.

7) Start by raising the vehicle. Try to raise it as level as possible, this will be important when filling later.

8) There are two plugs on this transmission. The one at the front by the oil pan is for draining the fluid, and the larger one at the rear is the fill hole.

9) Look closely at the inside of the larger plug hole. There is a small gap in the side. This is where the fluid fill tube needs to go through.

10) This gap is how the fluid level is set. It prevents the transmission from being overfilled.

11) Fill the transmission with fluid until the fluid starts to run out of the gap.

12) Reinstall the large plug hand tight. Now we need to check the fluid level. But how do we do that without a dipstick?

13) Start the engine, and with it running, remove the large drain plug. No fluid should come out. This is because the torque converter has sucked the fluid into the system. More fluid will need to be added at this time, until it starts to come out of the gap.

14) Now, per Volkswagen, the transmission needs to be at 35*C before reinstalling the large plug. I have a convent scan tool to read the temperature from the sensor itself. This can also be done with a laser thermometer on the outside of the case.

15) Fluid will continue to come out of the gap while the transmission warms up. Once at 35*C, reinstall the large drain plug. Clean up any excess fluid and take a test drive.

16) A good test drive should include a 1000 mile road trip. I recommend snowboarding, while camping in the Wagon by a statue of Honest Abe. Cook your food in tin foil in the engine bay and make many runs down the mountain.

1) Welp, that’s not good.

2) I went out this morning to run some errands, and the Wagon said no. Let’s find out why.

3) Here’s what we’re dealing with: the engine will crank, have a couple sputters, but will not start.

4) A quick scan of the Engine Control Module shows no fault codes. If only it would be that simple!

5) Ok, there are three basic things an engine needs to run: Air, fuel, and spark.

6) We can check the air pipe and filter for any restrictions. And there are none.

7) We can check fuel at this point here. This is the supply line from the fuel pump. Use a 17mm and a 14mm wrench to crack the line and crank the engine over. Fuel should come out of the line.

8) Thirdly, we need to check for spark at ALL spark plugs. This spark plug tester kit is great for this.

9) Well this is not good. We have air, fuel, and spark, but no start. This narrows it down to a bad crankshaft position sensor, timing component failure, ECM failure, or some other mechanical failure.

10) We can check the timing belt components by pulling off this front cover. Yep, everything looks good, belt is tensioned, no signs of breakage or shearing of the belt teeth.

11) We’re going to rule out ECM failure for the moment since we can communicate with it.

12) I’m also going to rule out a position sensor for now. We can see engine rpm registering on the cluster when we crank.

13) That leaves us with some other mechanical failure. Let’s jump back over to the spark plugs for a minute. When cranking, we get some sputters, but no kick over. Almost like the spark isn’t strong enough. Let’s pull all the spark plugs out and check them over.

14) These spark plugs are about a year old, and were replaced when all the other ignition stuff was. There’s a link somewhere around here to that video.

15) Here’s the first few spark plugs. The oil on the crush washer lip is from the valve cover gaskets starting to leak. These tips look a bit wet, and there’s a hint of fuel.

16) A spark plug works by separating two conductors with a gap. An ignition coil sends current down the center conductor, and when it builds up enough, the current jumps to the outside conductor. This “spark” is what ignites the fuel mixture.

17) If a spark plug is wet, from fuel, oil, or even water, the current will travel through the moistness instead of jumping the gap. Moist.

18) So let’s clean these off with some brake clean, let them dry, and reinstall and see what happens. I also did some cranking with the plugs removed to remove any other moisture from inside the cylinders.

19) Moment of truth! Ah! It’s alive!!!!

20) I’ve let the engine run for a good 10 minutes, and we’ve had no issues. Except for the slight issue where I cracked the PCV crossover pipe and trying to put it back together with the engine running causes the PCV valve to honk. Vacuums are weird, man.

21) Let’s talk about how the engine flooding could have happened in the first place. When an engine is cold, it needs more fuel than normal to get started. This creates a rich condition when it does start, and the ECM will equal it out as it runs. If the cold engine is started and shut off quickly, before the extra fuel could be burned, the fuel could stick to the spark plugs, causing our no start fault.

22) It’s common to see this in the spring or fall, often when moving a vehicle the short distance from a garage to a driveway. A good rule of thumb would be to let the engine run for at least 30 – 60 seconds to burn off any extra fuel.

23) At the rate things keep happening to the Wagon, this may become a Volkswagen channel! The tranny service coming up should be interesting!

1) Winter is coming!

2) My full time job is in the snow removal business. That means I need to be ready to work at a moment’s notice. To do that, Dora needs to be ready as well.

3) First off, tires. Switching from these “all-seasons” to these mud tires will help “improve” traction in the snow. Honestly, it just looks better with mud tires. Right?!

4) Next up was the oil change. It was a couple hundred miles early, but I’d rather get it knocked out now with nicer weather than when it is 40 below out. I try to keep the Sport Trac on a 3,000 mile interval.

5) I then drained all the coolant out. Why? Well, I needed to change the coolant sensor for the electric fan. When I first installed the fan, I put a 190 degree sensor in the pipe. This sensor was a bit too hot, as the coolant reached temps close to 210 degrees before the fans kicked on. I got a new 180 degree sensor to install, which should bring the temperatures down a bit lower to the 200-205 range I like to see.

6) I also keep a bunch of gear inside the truck at all times. Including, but not limited to, a jacket, a blanket, hat, and gloves. And when I say gloves, I mean a set of work gloves and a set of insulated gloves.

7) Every vehicle I own has one of these emergency packs, full of basic items needed when stranded. I’ll make a separate video going in depth on these things. The winter prep for this bag is to make sure nothing is missing or expired inside.

8) Fuel – I like to keep a 5 gallon jug of fuel in the bed. Dora is not the best with fuel consumption, so having this bit extra helps me sleep at night. A good rule of thumb for winter time is to keep your fuel tank at least ¼ to 1/3 tank full.

9) That pretty much covers it. Now all we need is snow.

1) At this point, Check Engine Lights and Volkswagen are synonymous. It just means the engine is working, right?

2) All jokes aside, Check Engine Lights should not be left unchecked.

3) I’ll be using the OBD Eleven dongle. This thing is the best bang for your buck on a Volkswagen specific scan tool. It lets you scan every module in the vehicle, see codes, live data, even mess with some coding. Just enough power to be dangerous!

4) Ok, we have a couple fault codes stored in the Engine Control Module. We will be focusing on the Bank 1 and Bank 2 Mixture Adaptation fault codes. Both these codes set when the engine is running lean.

5) Lean and Rich are common terms when talking about the air to fuel mixture inside the engine. Lean happens when there is more air in the system than required. Rich happens when there is more fuel in the system than required. Both conditions have bad consequences if left unchecked. We will be focusing on the Lean condition.

6) With the OBD Eleven, we can check some live data to help narrow down where the engine is getting extra air from. We’ll start with checking the air fuel mixture at the oxygen sensors. In a Volkswagen these readings are listed as “Lambda”. Lambda is the math term used to describe the perfect air fuel ratio as a single value.

7) A perfect air fuel ratio is 14.7:1. 14.7 part of air to one part of fuel. 14.7:1 is equal to Lambda 1. Any higher than 14.7 is considered lean. Any less than 14.7 is considered rich. In Lambda terms, anything less than 1 is rich and anything greater than 1 is lean.

8) We will select the Lambda control mixture adaptation data block. In it, we can see a whole bunch of percentages. Volkswagen takes the single lambda value and converts it into a percentage. 1 equals 0%. A positive percentage is the engine trying to add fuel, meaning the engine is running lean. A negative percentage is the engine trying to take away fuel, meaning the engine is running rich.

9) While our Bank 1 and Bank 2 idle readings are technically within specification, they’re still higher than they should be. If we check the engine speed at idle, we can see it’s on the high side of specification. What this is telling me is there is an air leak somewhere in the engine, but it is small, and not throwing a whole lot of stuff out of whack.

10) In the engine bay, with the engine covers removed and the engine running, visually check all the vacuum lines. Volkswagen loves this hard line stuff, and as it ages it is more prone to cracking. After the visual check, we can break out my favorite diagnostic tool: the brake clean spray check!

11) Spray parts of the engine you suspect may be leaking air. If that part is leaking air, the engine will rev up slightly, because brake clean is combustible. I found my leak at the backside of the engine, the PCV Valve to be specific. The engine revs up slightly when the PCV is sprayed.

12) What is a PCV Valve? Basically, the engine is a giant air pump. Some of that pressurized air slips by the piston rings and into the bottom of the engine. The PCV Valve takes this pressure and lets it out of the engine block and back into the intake. This process prevents pressure from building up and blowing out the oil seals.

13) OK, let’s shut the engine off and get to work replacing this thing. Start by removing the PCV crossover tube to give more room to work.

14) Remove the clamp from the upper hose. A 90* pick works well to pry open the clamp and remove it.

15) Either clamp on the lower hose could be removed, but I found that the lower clamp is easier to reach.

16) With the clamps removed, pull the PCV Valve from the hoses.

17) The 90 elbow hose will need to be transferred to the new Valve. Before we install the new one, I’m curious to see how this Valve works. Time to tear the old one apart!

18) Well, I’m no expert, but it looks like this spring keeps the orange diaphragm shut until there is enough crankcase pressure to overcome it, allowing the pressure to escape into the intake. Closer inspection of this diaphragm reveals some cracks. This would let outside air into the system, causing our check engine light to turn on.

19) These old clamps can be reused. It helps to have a CV Boot clamp tool. If you don’t want to deal with reusing the clamp, a regular hose clamp will work just fine.

20) Install the new valve and clamps, then reinstall the crossover pipe.

21) Start the engine and do another spray check. The engine should not rev up.

22) Clear the fault codes and do a test drive with a couple key cycles.

23) There you have it! I’ll put a link down below to the parts and the CV Boot tool. Thanks for watching!

1) Ooooffff. That looks just as painful as it actually was.

2) One of my biggest takeaways from RMRW was the realization of how much movement is involved when trying to shift quickly.

3) To help correct my botched shifts, I got my hands on a Short Throw Shifter. This will be a simple upgrade with large benefits.

4) Before we start, let’s talk about how a short throw shifter works. The shifter lever pivots on this mounting point and is connected to the lever on the transmission at the bottom. Moving the shift lever forward moves the bottom lever backward. We’ll call this a one to one ratio for simplicity. For every one inch of movement up top, the bottom will move one inch in the opposite direction. X designates how far the pivot point is from the lower lever.

5) On a Short Throw Shifter, the pivot point is moved up on the shift lever. This decreases the top half movement while increasing the bottom movement. Now the ratio would be 1:2. For every one inch of movement up top, the bottom now moves two inches. Now, because the pivot point was changed, the force needed to move the upper part increases. This keeps the whole equation happy. Math!

6) Ok, enough of making my brain hurt. Start by removing the shift knob and the shift boot. A better order may be to remove the boot from the knob, then remove the knob, then the boot. But I’m a difficult person. Fight me.

7) This big ring of rubber is the inner shift boot. It helps keep noise and dirt out of the cabin. It should just pull right out, if you can get a grip in the tight space.

8) Time to move onto the bottom side. Squeeze on in there, there’s plenty of space! There are 2 10mm bolts at the base of the shifter assembly, a 13mm nut on the lower shift lever, and a 10mm bolt that holds the front shift mount in place. Be careful on that front 10mm, I ended up getting my wrench stuck a bit. Whoops!

9) Get back in the cabin and feed the old shifter out of the hole. A wiggle here, some twisting there, it’ll come right out!

10) Let’s compare the old and new side by side. With the lower lever holes lined up, we can clearly see the pivot point is higher up the shaft than the old shifter.

11) You will have to swap the old bushing from the old front mount to the new bracket. It will pry out with a flathead screwdriver, just take your time and don’t use pliers. It may rip a bit if you do! Oh, and the two rubber bushings from the kit need to go between the bracket and the body!

12) Install the new mounting bracket into the old position.

13) Feed the new shift lever down through the hole and install three of the 6 bolts hand tight. We’ll come back and get the rest later.

14) Then go back under for the final time and bolt the lower lever in place. Go back up and install the final bolts.

15) I wanted to see just how much shorter the throw would be between the two shifters. Here’s the old shifter: it goes from 2.25 in to 6.75 in.

16) Let’s see the new short throw shifter. Woah! 3.125 in to 6.125 in! That’s crazy!

17) The factory shifter had 4.5 inches of travel. The new shifter has 3 inches of travel. 1.5 inches of difference! Let’s go for a drive and see how it feels!

18) “That feels much better! Much quicker!”

1) Tterrag: *garage door opens* Hey Garrett, you in here?

2) Garrett: Yeah, I’m over here.

3) Tterrag: I’ve got something to show you. *slides large box over*

4) Garrett: What’s in the box?

5) Tterrag: I got us some more awesome stuff to put on the back of the Mustang. It’s gonna make it look perfect!

6) Garrett: Let’s try this!

7) Ever since the 1966 Lamborghini Miura started the trend and Ford popularized the “Sportslats” on the Mustang Mach 1, I’ve always thought Mustangs looked better with a rear window louver. It’s time to make my own dream come true!

8) But first, I need to clean off the rear window. Much better!

9) This louver in particular is designed to be removable, making cleaning a wash. There are six mounting brackets that will stick to the rear window.

10) With the brackets installed, it’s time for a quick test fit. The bottom of the louver will tuck under the rear trunk lid.

11) Before I stick the brackets down, I added a few pieces of felt on spots that may cause noises against the glass.

12) With the louver back on and lined up, it’s time to make the magic happen. Once all the brackets are stuck down, it’s a good idea to remove the louver from the brackets and press the brackets down firmly.

13) Hahaha, oh man, that looks awesome! Now I almost want to paint match it to the body, like the side ones are! That’ll be a later project though.

14) On my test drive, I did not notice any abnormal wind noise. Any I did hear comes from the side louvers “scoop”. There’s also a surprising amount of visibility out the back window!

15) Pardon the interruption, but I just had to tell you about some new Merch! There’s now a shirt specifically for the Mustang! Simple, yet iconic! Get yours now with the link up in the corner or down in the description!

1) The rear differential pinion seal is a common failure point on all vehicles. It’s literally a rubber ring held against a spinning metal cylinder by a tiny spring. It is guaranteed to leak at some point in its life. The repair process is simple and can be done at home with the right tools.

2) Start by removing the rear wheels, brake calipers, and brake pads. This will be important later. Before removing any bolts, mark the orientation of the driveshaft onto the mounting flange.

3) Remove the 6 10mm bolts that hold the driveshaft in place.

4) Hang the driveshaft up out of the way with a bungee cord or wire.

5) Mark the orientation of the flange nut onto the flange.

6) And this is where I need to stop the video. I skipped a very important step.

7) The pinion bearing preload, also known as the turning torque, needs to be measured BEFORE the flange is removed. This is done by using an inch-pound torque wrench and turning the differential assembly over multiple turns. The torque reading is needed to get the flange installed in the right place.

8) Too little of preload causes excessive play in the bearings. Too much preload causes too much friction in the bearings. Either scenario can cause damage.

9) I marked my nut and counted threads showing. It’ll probably bite me in the butt later on. Do as I say, not as I do! Back to the video.

10) Once the nut is removed, use the puller to remove the flange from the pinion shaft. It would be a good idea to have an oil catching device on hand. Removing the flange and seal will cause oil to leak out. IF there is still any oil in the differential that is…

11) Use the seal puller to pry the seal out of the housing.

12) Clean the mounting surface and install the new seal. It will need to be tapped into the housing. A large socket or a hodge-podge of socket and washers will work. The seal needs to be flush with the face of the housing.

13) Lube the outside shaft of the flange and install it onto the pinion shaft. Install the nut incrementally, checking the preload bit by bit. DO NOT USE AN IMPACT.

14) Reinstall the driveshaft to the flange.

15) Top off the fluid in the differential. Using one of these fluid pumps is the best way to get fluid into here. The exhaust and fuel tank don’t allow for a bottle to be gravity fed.

16) Clean off any spills and excess fluid and take a test drive.

1) Welcome to video number 3 (or is it 4?) in prepping for Rocky Mountain Race Week 2.0! Previously we installed a hitch on the Mustang and built a hitch rack to hold all our junk. This video is going to be a two-parter, and you’ll see why later on!

2) When the hitch rack is fully loaded, the Mustang will need a bit of help holding the weight of stuff taken along. Without some extra support, the bump stops will be used more than they should. A thousand miles on bump stops is not how I plan to spend my Race Week!

3) My first solution was to turn to something I knew well: Air Shocks! I previously installed a set of these on Dora, my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. They have done awesome on that, and I expected the performance to be the same with the Mustang.

4) From all the research I did, I could not find a set of air shocks specifically for the Mustang. With some more research, I did find a set with nearly identical compression and extension lengths as a stock shock – they are a Gabriel 49173. These will install nearly the same as stock shocks.

5) It’s a good idea to get a measurement of the stock Mustang ride height before starting.

6) All this can be done with the wheels on, but I am going to take them off for filming purposes.

7) Pull back the trunk liner to access the top of the shock. Remove the bolt from the shock shaft.

8) Remove the lower shock bolt from its mount. Some extra jacking may be needed to get all the clearance, Clarence.

9) When the bolt comes out, the shock will come out easily. Remove the bushing from the top of the shock.

10) Slide the shock shaft of the new shock into the top hole, then install the lower bolt. I did have to use some washers as spacers for the lower shock bushing. The air shock may need to be extended some before the top nut is installed.

11) Install the nut onto the top of the shock. For the air shocks, the factory bushings need to be reused. I also had to swap the top nut to the one that came with the air shocks.

12) At this point I would go over plumbing the lines along the body, staying away from sharp edges and the hot exhaust. But I was so excited to try these air shocks out, that I forgot to film the quick zip tie job. Whoopsie!

13) I aired up the shocks to 20 psi and took a test drive. They did work, giving me extra height when I needed it. But there was a bit of a… problem.

14) The shock was squeaky and noisy, almost like fluid squishing around. I pulled a shock off and this is what I found.

15) The shock was leaking fluid inside the airbag. The fluid moving through control valves is what gives a shock its damping force. If the fluid escapes, the damping force mysteriously disappears!

16) So what does this mean? I returned the shocks for a replacement set, thinking it was a manufacturing fluke, just a 1 in 10,000 failed product. Unfortunately, the replacement shocks also leaked. Maybe it’s a bad vendor, buying off of eBay after all. I switched vendors, and still no luck. Every single one of the Gabriel 49173 Air Shocks I tried, leaked shock fluid inside the air bag.

17) Back on the original shocks went. Time for plan number 2 – Coil Bags!!!!

18) Once I actually get these in the mail and installed, I’ll drop the video. Thanks for watching!

1) Flying rocks are just the worst! Thankfully, repairing the chips can be done easily at home!

2) There are plenty of windshield repair kits out there on the internet. I went with this $25 kit from Amazon, since it has all of the tools we need for this job. I will be following the directions provided in the kit.

3) Start by cleaning the windshield area, making sure the chip in question is dry. A small pick could be used to clean out any loose glass.

4) Do not let the windshield be exposed to direct sunlight during this repair. It could cause the resin to harden prematurely.

5) Install the lower bracket centered over the chip.

6) Screw in the lower section of the applicator. It should be firmly installed to create a good seal but not tight enough to deform the gasket.

7) Place three to seven drops of the resin into the applicator.

8) Use the supplied syringe to create a vacuum in the applicator for three to five minutes. This pulls out any air bubbles in the chip, allowing the resin to get into all the small nooks and crannies.

9) Release the vacuum on the syringe and remove it from the assembly. Extend the syringe arm fully, then reinstall it to the applicator. Press the arm down slightly, to create a positive pressure in the applicator. This will help push the resin deep into the cracks. Leave it sit again for three to five minutes, then remove the syringe and the applicator assembly.

10) Take the resin bottle and place a few drops on the surface of the chip. Place one of the supplied plastic sheets on top of the chip, making sure to not let any air bubbles get in.

11) I went through and put some fresh resin on every little chip I could find. It seems excessive, but it is cheaper than a new windshield.

12) Now we can put the windshield in direct sunlight to cure for five to ten minutes. A UV flashlight can also work, but more people have access to sunlight than one of those.

13) The resin is cured when the plastic sheet does not move when wiggled.

14) Take the supplied razor blade and peel up the plastic sheet. Then take the blade and scrape it perpendicular to the windshield. The resin should come off in tiny white shavings. I know, it feels counter intuitive to scrape metal on glass, but this razor will not leave a mark on the windshield if properly done.

15) The newly filled in chip should be level with the surface of the windshield. Don’t be alarmed if the first attempt doesn’t hold – I had to redo the large chip here.

16) Ah, that’s better. There will be some slight discoloration where the chip was filled in. The smaller the chip, the less noticeable it will be. The resin will clear up some over time.

17) When you do as many chips as I did, it will leave quite the mess. Almost reminds me of winter! I miss snowboarding… ☹

18) Lastly, try to let the resin sit for 24 hours before coming in contact with water, just to give it that extra time to set properly.

19) This is Rooster, I can see clearly now the – (*CUT OFF FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT).

1) That looks a little wet…

2) That side looks even worse! Wait wait wait, is that an into I hear?

3) If I’m going to race at Rocky Mountain Race Week, I can’t be dumping oil on the track. That’s a no-no. So let’s get these valve cover gaskets changed asap!

4) Start by removing the air filter assembly. There is a 8mm clamp on the throttle body and a 10mm bolt on the side of the assembly. Don’t forget the wire connector for the airflow sensor.

5) Next, disconnect all the electrical connectors for the throttle body, ignition coils, injectors, the a/c compressor, and the oil pressure sensor. I ended up tucking the wire harness up above the intake manifold.

6) Remove the 7mm bolts that hold the ignition coils in place, then pull the ignition coils out.

7) Now we have a better view of the bolts for the valve cover. There are eleven 8mm bolts to loosen. A swivel joint will help get to the hard-to-reach bolts.

8) With all the bolts loose, the valve cover should come off with little effort. A little wiggling may be needed to get it out.

9) Now is a good time to inspect for any signs of excessive wear or damage.

10) Let’s get the cover over to the bench to replace all the gaskets.

11) I suspect that – FOCUS – I suspect that these bolt gaskets failed, causing oil to seep by when warmed up. Oil builds up in the corner and eventually seeps through the gasket. I’ll have to keep an eye out for any future problems.

12) Out with the grey, in with the blue, I always say!

13) The new gasket fits perfectly, it’s time to put this cover back on the engine. I’ll have to turn off the copyrighted music before I can go any further. That’s better!

14) Feed the valve cover back onto the cylinder head. Start the bolts by hand to prevent cross threading.

15) Yes, I went through and torqued them to 89 inch-pounds. Do you really want to see that? No? Me either. Skiiip!

16) Put everything back on in the order removed. Jumping over to the passenger side, the battery and battery mount will need to be removed before the valve cover can come off. Everything else will be similar to the driver valve cover.

17) Thanks for watching, feel free to post any questions in the comments below!

Transcription in progress.

1) If I’m going to compete in Rocky Mountain Race Week, I need a place to store some stuff. You may have seen this rack in the Mustang Hitch Rack Install video. Today I’m going to walk you through how I made it better.

2) Charles H. Duell is largely credited with saying the phrase “everything that can be invented has been invented.” This phrase can be used to describe today’s project: I am ripping off Mike Finnigan’s Blasphemi hitch rack, with a few changes of my own.

3) First, we need to remove the main support beam. I’ll come up with a way to make this easer to come off later.

4) I want this thing to be able to roll around, making moving stuff easier. So, we need casters. To make casters work, we need to fabricate a cross brace in all four corners of the rack. It’s always a good day when you can weld!

5) Since this is an aluminum rack, we will use AC tig welding. Aluminum can be finneky to weld, and you’re not really supposed to gap weld aluminum. I won’t tell if you don’t!

6) Some welds look good, others will at least hold. With the rack loaded with gear, no one will notice the welds!

7) The holes drilled are 7/16ths in size, to fit our 7/16ths bolts. With the way I lined things up, only three bolts will hold each caster in place. Should be plenty!

8) We have two swivel casters and two fixed casters successfully installed. I think we need to test it out!

9) Well, it rolls nice, the casters don’t bind, and they are wearing exactly in the middle! I love it when a plan comes together!

10) The rack is rated for 500 pounds, and each caster is rated for 750 pounds. So, it should be able to hold at least 2 humans. I’m smelling a bad idea forming…

11) Now that the rack is mobile, it’s time to tackle the mounting setup. I want it to be able to slide up and onto the main support beam and secure in place. I decided to use four of these ¼-20 knobs and some Riv-Nuts. I need to extend the end faces of the support beam for it all to work.

12) And after all that prep, I forgot to account for the thickness of the Riv-Nuts. Whoopsie. I cut the brackets flush with the level surface and welded new brackets on top of those. Now there is plenty of space for everything to line up. Let’s test it out!

13) That worked out better than I thought! The four knobs in each corner keep everything secure. Time for final painting! As race week get’s closer, I’ll have a better idea of what will be in the rack and will test loading and unloading the loaded rack at that point. Man, that’s a mouthful!;

14) Hey, do you see that long sleeve orange shirt I’m wearing? That’s a Rooster Life TV shirt, and you can get one, along with t-shirts, sweaters, stickers and more! The link will be down in the description! If you want to help keep this channel going, buying some merch helps immensely! Thanks for watching, and tune in next time!

1) One of the limiting factors of the Mustang is the storage space. While it does have plenty of interior space – you can fit a body in here (not that you need to) – but accessing that space is hard. The tailgate door is awkwardly shaped, meaning it is difficult to put large items in here.

2) What I need is a receiver hitch, to put a basket on the back or to tow a small trailer. To my knowledge, Mustangs did not have these hitches installed from the factory. So I’m going to build one! Stay tuned to see what exactly I’ll be using this hitch for!

3) Yeah yeah, I could just go buy one. But where’s the fun in that?

4) I have two scrapped receiver hitches laying around, which I believe they came off of a Volkswagen Passat. They are in a good condition and are perfectly fine to use. But they are not shaped correctly. We will have to modify!

5) First I need to pull the exhaust off for room to work.

6) We need this side of the tow hitch shortened 3.5 inches. This side needs to be built to mimic the other side.

7) Time to tack everything together. I would highly recommend making some sort of jig to hold everything in the proper position before tacking. I did not do this, I just used by eye-crometer to line it all up. Surprisingly, it turned out well! With everything tacked, it’s time to test fit for holes. Then I will weld it all together and install it.

8) I tacked everything with my flux core machine, then went through and tig welded all the joints. Because tig welding forces you to go slow and take your time.

9) Safety tip: when welding, make sure to wear the proper safety equipment. This fool did have his helmet but did not have a long sleeve shirt on. Fun fact, welding can help you get a tan!

10) The four bolts are installed, time to test the welds! Well it holds me, it should be able to hold whatever I put into it!

11) Now I just need to pull it out one last time to touch up the welds and paint it.

12) There is a slight issue with this home made hitch. The stock exhaust doesn’t fit anymore! Think anyone will notice if I leave it off?!

13) Welds cleaned, hitch painted, bolts tightened, time to get to use! What can I all fit in here?!

14) This project has been on my list to do for some time. But there’s an event coming up in a few months, which I needed this extra space. It’s Rocky Mountain Race Week!!!!

15) What’s even better? I’m not doing this event alone! Corey from T-Top Speed Shop is also racing for the first time! He is bringing an LS swapped Monte Carlo. There’s a link to his channel below to follow his progress!

16) To spice things up between us, we have a bit of a competition going. I’ll let him describe it. So, if you have any good ideas of Ford shirts for Corey, let me know in the comments below!

17) This is a special hitch rack I modified, I will have a link to that video when it is complete. We also need to tackle the sag problem when the rack is fully loaded. Tune in next time to see how I fix those issues.

Transcription in progress.

1) Exterior lighting can be cool. Like the taillights on the Mustang! Those are cool. The perimeter lighting feature when the Mustang is unlocked? It’s cool, but also annoying.

2) I’m going to show you how to disable this feature. Or enable it. So I’m going to show you how to change it, and you can decide which way you want it. Kapish?

3) The instructions can be found in the Mustang Owner’s Manual on page 80. The steps need to be done in a small window of time, so be quick with your fingers!

4) With all doors closed, turn the ignition to position 3 (that’s all the way on without starting).

5) Press the driver unlock switch three times.

6) Turn the ignition to position 1 (which is off).

7) Press the driver unlock switch three times.

8) Turn the ignition to position 3, and the horn will chirp. We are now in the driver configuration mode.

9) Press the driver unlock switch two times. If the perimeter lighting is active, it will now be deactivated. If the lighting is not active, it will be activated.

10) The horn has a different pattern for each setting. Perimeter lighting activated is a short chirp followed by a long horn. Perimeter lighting deactivated is a short chirp only.

11) Turn the ignition off to exit the driver configuration mode.

12) There you have it. This is Rooster. Now you can enjoy a clip of the dog and a rabbit!

Tterrag: Hey man, I got a question. Can we please upgrade the music situation in the car here? This little 3.5mm dongle is just, old!

Garrett: What’s wrong with the current setup? It works great, plays music, what more do you want?

Tterrag: Let’s put in one of these things!

Garrett: Well, I guess we could try it and see what happens.

Tterrag: YES!

1) Listening to any media while commuting is a must for most drivers. New vehicles have all this fancy interconnected technology to allow for your choice of input. Older vehicles, such as the Waaagon, are from the era of you get what you get. One way around this was with one of these tape deck to 3.5mm adapters, and it was always hit or miss whether they worked properly or not.

2) No more of that crap for the Waaagon. Volkswagen saw the future was all about choice, and hence came out with the iPod Adapter kit. This replaces the CD changer function with the iPod input. In the box, we have the iPod 30 pin cable, some zip ties for mounting, the adapter module, the 3-connector block harness, and the Quadlock harness. We will be using the 3-connector block. I believe the Quadlock is for the radios that came out in 2006 and later.

3) Remember: this video is coming out in 2021, and this adapter came out in the early 2000s. It is designed for use with the original iPods like the Classic, Mini, Nano, and Photo. It can be used with newer 30-pin iPods, but we will discuss that later.

4) There are only a few tools needed for this upgrade: a pocket screwdriver, radio removal tools, some mechanic’s wire, and a wire terminal removal tool.

5) Start by removing the radio from the console. Rest it on top of the shifter to access the connectors on the backside.

6) Remove the 3-connector block from the radio. The old block, specifically the blue section, was for the 6 CD changer mounted in the rear of the vehicle, and will no longer work once the adapter is in place.

7) Depending on the old connector block setup, the new block will need to be disassembled to include the other wires in the old green and yellow connectors. There are small tabs that hold each section together. We want the new blue section with the old green section, and either empty yellow section.

8) Before installing the new 3-connector block, remove the lower black connector. We need to splice into the brown ground connection for the adapter harness. Disconnecting this connector will cause the radio to enter SAFE mode, requiring the radio code to be entered. If you do not know your radio code, a Volkswagen dealership can get it for you.

9) Remove the yellow connector lock, and use the wire terminal tool to remove the brown wire for the connector. Take the wire from the connector and put it into the single connector provided in the kit. This then connects to the other single connector in the adapter harness. Finally, the brown wire without a connector on the adapter harness is placed into the factory connector where the old wire was. Confused?

10) Right, with all the radio connections in place, check the functionality of the system. Connect the adapter module to the adapter harness and the iPod 30 pin cable to the adapter module. Plug in your iPod and turn on the ignition.

11) At this point, enter your radio code. The radio will not function without this code entered.

12) I am testing this system with an iPod Touch 4th Generation. It displayed the “Charging not supported with this accessory message”. This adapter is meant for the early iPods, which charge via Firewire. Newer iPods only charge via USB. Adapters are available that convert the Firewire 12 volts to a USB 5 volts. All the data functionality will work – music, podcasts, etcetera. I would demonstrate this, but YouTube doesn’t like copyright stuff. Just imagine music is playing while I press the buttons. Speaking of buttons, the steering wheel controls for forward and reverse track will work as well.

13) The original installation instructions call for the adapter module to be mounted in the glove box, but final installation is up to you.

14) This is Rooster, keep on Rockin’!

Garrett: Hey! That’s my soda!

1) This fan’s not crack-a-lackin’, it’s crack-a-lottin’! Hahaha!

2) Huh? What’s that? Bad puns are only for the end of the video? Fine, roll into the intro I guess!

3) After 20 long years and almost 200,000 miles, Dora’s OEM mechanical radiator fan has had a rough life. It’s time to retire this fan and replace it with a brand spankin’ new Mustang electric radiator fan! It will be set up to turn on and off at certain temperatures, as well as turn on when the air conditioning is activated.

4) To make this all work, there are a few extra parts needed, such as an additional coolant temp sensor, an inline adapter for the sensor, and a couple relays. All of these parts can be sourced from Amazon. Let’s get to it!

5) Start by removing the throttle body cover and the air filter assembly.

6) Next will be to remove the fan from the water pump pulley. A special tool makes this a breeze. Once the fan is loose the two 10mm bolts for the fan shroud are removed. The fan and the shroud will come out together.

7) Now we can move onto the fun part – installing the new parts!

8) I opted to go with an electric fan assembly for a 05-09 Ford Mustang. Turning the assembly 90 degrees onto its side allows it to slip in the gap of the radiator. There was a slight clearance issue with the old fan mounting stud, but that was solved by trimming the outside edge of the new assembly by ¼ inch.

9) Time for the messy part. The coolant needs to be drained before mounting the new coolant sensor. I chose to mount the sensor housing into the lower radiator hose, between the block heater and the engine block inlet. This ensures the fan will only activate when the radiator can no longer dissipate the heat on its own, and will prevent the fan from needlessly running while Dora is in motion.

10) Because of the tight clearance of this hose, a section of the hose equal to the exposed part of the sensor housing will need to be removed. A box cutter or garden shears work nicely.

11) Just for fun, let’s peek inside the coolant hose. This brown gunk here is what happens when the coolant becomes contaminated and breaks down. Too much buildup of this stuff can reduce the effectiveness of the coolant. Periodic coolant flushes will greatly reduce the chance of this happening!

12) The sensor housing is held in place with two hose clamps. I made sure to orient the housing to make the sensor more accessible when installed.

13) Tighten the sensor to snug. Thread sealant is not recommended. This sensor is designed as a switch to ground out through the housing. Any sealant or Teflon tape could cause the switch to not function at all.

14) There will be two wires running to this housing: one for the sensor and one for the ground.

15) Work the hose back into place and refill the cooling system to check for any leaks.

16) With all the parts installed, all that is left is to do the wiring. Here is the wiring diagram I created. This fan has two speeds, each speed is activated a different way.

17) When the coolant sensor reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit, the switch closes, grounding out the control coil in the low speed relay. This in turn allows power to flow from the battery to the low speed wire on the fan. When the sensor reaches 175 degrees, the switch opens, turning the fan off. The power side of the control coil comes from a switched ignition source, to prevent the fan from running when the key is not on.

18) The high speed relay control coil gets its power when the a/c clutch is activated. This causes the high speed relay to disconnect power from the low speed relay and send it directly to the high speed wire on the fan. When the clutch is deactivated, the relay returns power back to the low speed relay.

19) In the future I will tidy up this wiring better, possibly with some cable sheathing. The ignition source I tapped into is for the ABS system. Any fuse that is only hot when the key is on will also work.

20) The splice into the a/c clutch will fit nicely into the OEM cable sheathing.

21) Because the new sensor is mounted after the radiator, the ECM coolant temp reaches 208-210 degrees before the fan activates. This is within the normal operating temperature range, and the temperature drops quickly once the fan is activated.

22) Lastly, we can see that when the a/c clutch is activated the fan starts right up, almost like magic!

23) This is Rooster. If you waited all this time for a bad pun, it’s gone, blown away!

1) The biggest mystery to non-car people is the bond man and machine have. Working together in harmony to push the limits. Supporting each other through the ups and downs. Growing and learning together, navigating this thing we call – wait a minute – something doesn’t feel right…what the f---

2) Looks like I’ve been shifting too much. The side trim on the shift knob is deteriorating, cracking, and falling apart. It’s becoming a nuisance, and needs to be fixed.

3) The best way to fix this is to replace the shift knob completely. I found this blacked out knob on Amazon for less than $10.

4) There are no tools needed for this job.

5) Simply work the shift boot off over the lip on the knob. Then turn the shift knob lefty loosey to remove.

6) Holding the shift knobs side by side, not only does the all black knob look better, it’s also lighter. That means it adds horsepower!

7) Screw the new knob onto the shift lever shaft. Work the shift boot up over the lip on the knob. Ta-da!

8) This is Rooster. I cannot think of a pun that does not include an innuendo.

*No video transcription available.

1) During the Waaagon’s brake replacement video, I noticed the brake fluid was quite dirty. Now is as good of time as any to perform a brake flush.

2) A dealership or independent shop will use a specific brake flush machine that uses pressure and vacuum to flush the fluid. I am neither of those, but can get a similar effect with this Mityvac Kit, using the inline reservoir and some tubing. This will allow me to do a complete brake flush without the need for a second person.

3) Let’s start by draining the brake reservoir. The less of the dirty brake fluid that has to be pulled through the lines, the better. Brake fluid should be a clearish yellow color, not greenish brown. Once all the fluid is sucked out, fill the reservoir with fresh brake fluid. As each caliper is flushed, check the reservoir and add fluid as needed.

4) The front brake caliper bleed screw is on the topside of the caliper. Remove the dust cap from the screw.

5) Connect the hose to the screw fitting. An 11mm wrench is used to loosen the screw. At this point, gravity bleeding is an option. A slow one. Speed. I am Speed!

6) Use the Mityvac to pull a vacuum on the brake caliper. The fluid will flow through the tube and get caught in the inline reservoir. Air bubbles in the brake system is bad. Too much air can cause a spongy brake pedal feel, since air compresses and fluid does not.

7) The older the brake fluid, the more likely air bubbles can form. I am genuinely surprised at the amount of bubbles coming out at the moment. The brake pedal has not been feeling spongy. I think the hose is not quite sealing against the fitting on the caliper.

8) Once the fluid in the tube turns the color of the new fluid in the reservoir, and the air bubbles have stopped, it’s time to close the system and top off the reservoir level.

9) The rear brakes bleed the same as the front, but the bleed screw is harder to reach. A narrow closed end 11mm box wrench does the job well.

10) There are two schools of thought on where to start bleeding from. One is starting at the caliper closest to the reservoir and the other is starting at the caliper furthest from the reservoir. I have done both in the past and not felt any noticeable difference between the two methods.

11) Once every caliper has been bled, do a final check on the reservoir level. Then take a test drive. If the pedal feels spongy, the brakes need to be bled again.

12) This is Rooster. Coming up with all these puns is really braking my brain!

1) Sidebar: For those of you that have been following since the beginning, you may have noticed a small gap in the video release schedule. That is because my day job is in the snow removal business. There has been lots of snow here in the Midwest. Therefore, I have not had much free time to create more content. I plan to be better about this in the future. Sidebar over.

2) Back in October 2020, while driving the Waaagon, I heard a strange noise. Every time the brake pedal was applied, there was a low pitch grinding noise. Whatever it was, it did not sound happy.

3) After a quick inspection, I found the issue. Check this out.

4) The passenger rear inside brake pad had worn down to medal. When that metal touches the metal of the rotor, it grinds and grinds, making a noise that can be heard inside the car. Time to replace some parts!

5) To prove the effectiveness of new pads and rotors, here’s a brake test of the old rotors. It is manageable, but the brake pedal feels lazy. The solution: New parts! Race parts?! Parts parts!

6) Inside the box, we have new caliper slide rubbers, a new spring, different caliper slide rubbers, and the new pads themselves. I am not going to replace any of the slide rubbers at this time.

7) There are only a few tools you will need. For the front: Impact with 17mm socket, flathead screwdriver, 3/8 ratchet with 18mm socket and 7mm Allen socket, pliers or channel locks, hammer, piston compression tool, a brush, and a bungee strap. The rear uses many of same tools, along with a rotating piston compression tool, an 8mm Allen socket, also a 13mm and 15mm wrenches.

8) Let’s start with the front brakes, since these do the majority of the braking. Jack up the car and remove the wheel.

9) Disconnect the electrical brake wear sensor connector and remove the caliper slide caps. For the electrical connector, use a pocket screwdriver to pry the latch open. Then rotate the connector body in the mount 90 degrees and remove it from the bracket. The caliper slide caps pop out with little effort.

10) The retaining spring on the front is next to be removed. Take a flathead screwdriver and pry it out. There is a lot of tension in this spring, take care when removing.

11) A 7mm Allen socket is used to remove the caliper slide bolts. The caps removed earlier keep these clean, reducing the chance of rust and head stripping.

12) With the slides loose and the spring removed, the caliper will slide off the bracket. Use a bungee strap or wire to hold it up out of the way.

13) The inside brake pad pops out of the caliper piston. The wear sensor wire is a bit tricky to remove from around the brake line. Careful prying on the brake line can help create enough space to remove the connector.

14) Pop the other brake pad out of the bracket. Now we can see were the pad was supposed to be rubbing. This thick rust ring proves it was not. Rust don’t lie!

15) On some Volkswagens, the brake rotor can be removed without removing the bracket. I attempted to try this now. Spoilers: it cannot.

16) Reinstall a wheel bolt to the hub and grab the whacking stick to brake the rotor loose from the hub.

17) Now you get to watch me struggle and realize the bracket needs to be removed as well. Enjoy!

18) Two 18mm bolts hold the caliper bracket in place. Now the rotor can be free!

19) Right, let’s get these new rotors clean! A quick spray down with brake clean removes any oil and particles from the rotors surface which could adversely affect braking performance.

20) It’s a good idea to clean the hub as well before installing the new rotor.

21) Use an old brake pad as a brace to press the caliper piston back into the caliper.

22) Install the new rotor to the hub, using a wheel bolt to hold it in place. Put some lube on the caliper slides. I chose to go with a silicone spray. Anti-seize will work as well.

23) There are four places to clean and lubricate on the caliper bracket. I chose anti-seize. This will help the new pads slide freely and reduce the chance of noise.

24) Reinstall the bracket, brake pads, and caliper. Route the wear sensor wiring through the brake line. Tighten all the brake bolts by hand, to ensure they are all properly tight. Torque specs: Guide Slides – 18ft-lbs/25nm, Bracket bolts – 92ft-lbs/125nm.

25) Don’t forget the front spring! This keeps the caliper properly installed!

26) Reinstall the wear sensor connector. Finally, re-install the wheel. Pump the brake pedal a couple times before starting the engine, to remove any slack in the new pads.

27) Quick note: don’t forget the caliper slide covers like this chump! Onto the rears!

28) There are two 13mm bolts holding the caliper in place. A 15mm wrench is used to counter hold the nut. With the bolts removed the caliper can be pried off of the pads, and the pads can be removed by hand. Hang the caliper out of the way with a bungee strap.

29) Here again, we get to watch a chump of a technician try to remove the rotor without removing the bracket. What could possibly go wrong???

30) I just had to jinx it, didn’t I? Factory rotors are not two-piece rotors!

31) There are two 8mm Allen bolts that hold the bracket to the knuckle. Once removed, the rotor can also be removed. Man, that is one big hunk of rust!

32) A different piston compression tool is needed for the rear caliper. The parking brake is built into the piston and needs to be spun to retract. This tool can be rented from the auto parts store.

33) Like the fronts, clean the new rotors and hub mount surfaces. There are no wear sensor wires to worry about, pad and caliper installation is simple. Tighten everything hand. Torque Specs: Caliper bolts – 22ft-lbs/30nm, bracket bolts – 70ft-lbs/95nm.

34) Re-install the wheel and check the brake fluid level. Bed the new pads per the instructions.

35) Time to see what these new brakes are made of!

36) That is a noticeable difference! Let’s see a side by side comparison!

37) There you have it! Rust does not make a good braking setup! Enjoy the gratuitous shots of the old rotors! This is Rooster – time to brake away for the next project!

1) After 4 years of attempting to figure out what I wanted to pursue in college, I graduated with a degree in welding. One of the final courses for the degree was a fabrication project.

2) For that project, I decided to build my own bed topper shell thing. Because the Sport Trac has a unique bed, it is difficult to find a fiberglass topper. After many measurements and endless welds, I had a completed frame.

3) My plan from here was to make individual panels out of HDPE – High Density Polyethylene – which would fit flush with the aluminum frame, creating an awesome contrast.

4) All of that was in the spring and summer of 2019. Like many other people, 2020 changed my plans.

5) In the beginning of 2020, I finally found a bed topper for Dora!

6) This topper gives me plenty of space for storage and activities. But it does limit the size of items placed in the bed. Today’s project is going to be solving that issue.

7) I am going to repurpose the original bed topper I attempted to create myself out of aluminum. Do you think my degree will be revoked when they see me chop the project up? Besides, I already used the HDPE panels to make the Bed Drawer Platform!

8) This will become a rack for the top of the bed topper. I’ll set it up so it is level with the existing roof bars on Dora’s cab.

9) I’ll start by cutting the angled aluminum struts in half. These struts will become the attachment points for the rack to the topper. This was the point of no return, and was bittersweet, destroying something I had created to become something new.

10) To get the angles I need for the proper attachment, the struts will be cut to bend. I’ll reinforce these joints later.

11) Each strut will have a hole drilled on its end. This is where the attachment bolt to the topper will secure everything in place. The bolts I’m using are carriage bolts, to help reduce the chance of tampering from the outside. They also provide a solid ledge for the aluminum struts to rest against.

12) With the rack positioned properly, I marked all the holes and started to drill, being careful to not inhale any fiberglass particles. That would not be good!

13) With the rack now attached to the topper, it’s time to reinforce the corners. This is accomplished by taking some scrap aluminum strips, cutting them to length, and bending them to the proper angles. Then a hole is drilled on each end to rivet the strips to the corners.

14) The final thing to do is clean up any sharp edges. I find that one of these flap disks does marvels for cleaning burrs and edges.

15) Now that everything has been test fit and secured, it’s time for paint! While the bare aluminum was great for staying cool in the summer by dissipating heat, the shiny doesn’t really match the overall aesthetic of Dora. I think it needs to be BLACK!

16) I will be using this Rubberized Spray Paint Stuff. This will give the rack some protection from the elements as well as give a good surface for grasping and securing loads.

17) I roughed up the aluminum surface so the rubber coating has something to grab onto.

18) With everything painted, it’s time to do the final install!

19) Now the topper has more capacity than before. I already have plans for upgrading this rack further!

20) This is Rooster, and my watch says it is rack-past time to end this video!

1) Every off-road vehicle should have some sort of tools to accompany it. It’s just common sense. Dora’s bed is loaded with tools and recovery equipment, such as a tool bag, High Lift jack, tow strap, shovel, traction boards, and a battery bank.

2) What we are going to focus on today is the Irwin tool bag crammed into the back corner here. Let’s get this out and see what’s inside!

3) OK, here’s the big pouch. It weighs about 55 pounds. It’s probably heavier than it needs to be. But, I like tools. So, here we go!

4) On the outside, we’ll start with the back. This is the side that faces the cab of the truck. We have a bag of zip ties, we have two of the same ratchet straps.

5) Towards the front, this is the side that is visible when you first open the tailgate. In this first pouch, we have a mini screwdriver set, we have some Allen keys, we have some writing utensils, we have a magnet, we have a box cutter, and some electrical tape.

6) The middle pouch, we have a tire repair kit. Definitely want that on the trail! In here, we also have a valve core tool.

7) Finally in the last pouch, we have a tire pressure gauge from Slime, we have some spare batteries – spare AA batteries, we have a D-Ring, and we have two of the most commonly used socket sizes for lug nuts. 19s, which is on Dora, and 17s, which is on the Waaagon. The Mustang also has 19s, but I never put this tool bag with the Mustang.

8) Next, we’ll start with this first main pouch here. To start off, we have a Cob light. It has light there, and a flashlight here. Very handy, and with magnets on the back, and a hanging tool. We have a Wacker stick. We have the strap, if I ever try to carry this bag, I have a strap to hold it with. We have a hacksaw combination kit here. Hacksaw drywall saw. We got a tape measure. We have a Multimeter. We have a drill and impact driver combo kit. We have the charging dock for those Bosch batteries. We have a multi-screwdriver here. We have some electrical repair stuff, so we have fitting ends, we have heat shrink, we got butt connectors, we got spade connectors. We also have a test light. We have some spare spark plugs and some spare spark plug wires for Dora. And I also have a fuel can tube. Not shown in here is a set of fuses I keep in the cab of the truck.

9) Alright, let’s move onto the back kit here. I’m going to rotate the bag for easier access. In here, first things first. We have a tool roll. This tool roll has Channel Locks, Vice Grips, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, wire strippers, wire crimpers, Crescent wrench, quarter inch bit screwdriver, lineman’s pliers. I call these dikes, they are side cutters. Some hose clamp pliers, some regular pliers – sorry, these are just hose pliers, regular pliers, and some hose clamp pliers. This is a bit kit, which has any bit I could ever need, and some drill bits so I also threw in a quarter inch bit to drill bit adapter. That sits right in there, nice and tight. Yeah, this lid likes to pop off sometimes. We have some rags, we have the other end to the hacksaw kit over there. We have a torque wrench, we have a whole bunch of Metric wrenches, all the way from 7 or 8mm to 19mm. Some more rag stuff. We have a half inch breaker bar. We have half inch ratchet, three-eighths ratchet, quarter inch ratchet.

10) We have some bit kits here. We have some Torx bits here and some smaller ¼ inch bits. We have more ¼ inch bits here. Here’s all of our adapters and extensions. We have 3/8 extensions – 3 inches, 6 inches. We have a 3/8 wobble, and I believe this is a ½ inch to 3/8 adapter. We have the rest of our Torx bits. We have a 3/8 to ½ inch adapter, and then some 3/8 sockets here. All the other adapters, and then we have bit adapters here as well, then a ¼ inch extension. We have a really long 3/8 wobble extension.

11) Finally, we have ½ inch metric sockets. We have ¼ inch deep metric sockets. Then we have 3/8 deep sockets and the rest of the 3/8 shallow sockets.

12) That is a lot of tools in this kit. Are all these tools necessary? No. You can get by with a lot less. But, when you’re out on the trail, there’s no way they can come and help you. You have to be able to fix your own problems. I’d rather have extra tools than not enough tools.

13) I’m planning to add this Bosch impact to the bag in the future. I’m also planning to build some sort of tailgate storage setup. There will be a video on that when it happens.

1) Over the past year, there have been many questions asked for specifics on the vehicle seen on Rooster Life TV. So, to make it easier on myself, and prevent redundant comment responses, I put together this video to explain all the nitty-gritty details you all so desperately need.

2) We will start with my favorite car of all. The 2007 Ford Mustang GT California Special.

3) Powered by the 300-horsepower aluminum 4.6L SOHC 3-Valve Modular V8 and mated to the Tremec TR-3650 5-speed manual transmission ending in the limited slip rear differential, it brings instant joy to me every time it is driven.

4) A few years ago, a bit of carelessness on my part caused one of the roller rockers to stop rolling. This then dug into the camshaft, causing a nice loud ticking noise. There may have been a little too much RPM with a little too low oil level. I took this mistake as the perfect opportunity to upgrade the camshafts and do some other maintenance.

5) The perfect choice was the Comp Cams Stage 1 Camshaft setup, with new roller rockers, timing chains, oil pump, and a new clutch. It has not been on a dyno before or after the “Rebuild”, but it does feel much peppier.

6) While the current setup is great, I do have some ideas for the Mustang. The 20-inch rims with 255/35 tires have a very aggressive look, but not great road manners. I would like more sidewall profile, possibly dropping down to 18-inch rim. Also, a handling kit may find its way onto the Mustang.

7) Next up in line is the 2002 Volkswagen Passat Wagon GLX 4Motion. Boy that is a mouthful! Crammed into a 4-cylinder engine bay is the 2.8L V6 30 Valve engine, producing 190 horsepower and 206 foot-pounds of torque. The 5-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission also acts as the front differential. A Torsen limited-slip differential mounted on the rear of the transmission case sends power to the rear differential. This 4Motion setup means power is always split 50/50, allowing for great traction and for great slides.

8) Being a GLX, it comes with front heated leather seats, the upgraded stereo system with a 6 CD changer that is a bit out of reach, and the Climatronic HVAC system that sometimes likes to deactivate the A/C compressor on a hot day.

9) When I acquired the Waaagon in January of 2018, it needed some work. The exhaust was rusted off before the catalytic converters, the valve covers were leaking oil like a siv, and the heater core was plugged there was no heat from vents. It also needed tires. Because normal tires are boring, and the Waaagon is all-wheel drive, I decided the best course of action was to install a set of oversized General Grabber All Terrain tires. The clearance was simply perfect to the top spindle bolt. It was meant to be!

10) But since the new tires are oversized, the spare no longer fits in the original spot. To solve that problem, I fabricated a new mount that bolts to the license plate mount.

11) After fixing all the major issues, the Wagon has become the perfect Daily Driver. Plenty of creature comforts, enough power to get up and go, traction to get stuck and unstuck, and room in the back for any load or activities. I have used the rear for sleeping on trips multiple times, and plan on more in the future!

12) The Waaagon’s future is looking bright. As in the headlights need to be cleaned or replaced. The ABS also doesn’t work. There might be some seat repair done? The future holds many mysteries!

13) Finally, we come to the most seen vehicle on the channel. This is Dora, my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. She is a four-wheel drive Sport Utility Truck that somehow keeps on going, no matter what I put her through. The 4.0L V6 SOHC engine produces a mere 210 horsepower and is mated to a 5R55E 5-speed automatic transmission. 0-60 is leisurely, while top speed is less than the instant-jail requirement.

14) The winter after Dora became mine, I installed a set of 31x10.5R15 Mastercraft Courser MXT Mud Terrain tires on Pro Comp 15x8 inch steel rims with a 3.75-inch backspace and -0.75-inch offset. These tires do wonders off-road, adequate in snow, and horrible at highway speeds. The noise is surprisingly low for a mud tire.

15) I have added many unnecessary lights, a bed topper, Rockford Fosgate speakers, drilled and slotted brake rotors, rear air shocks, poly body mounts, and built a bed platform. I also removed the factory radio unit, replacing it with a CB radio and a Ham radio setup. The auxiliary cord is directly connected to the speaker amplifier.

16) What’s in Dora’s future? Bigger tires and more gearing. There is too much arch gap with the current tires. And with the smaller power out of this engine, it needs more gearing to turn the larger tires. I’m also planning on a winch, bumpers, rock sliders, the works.

17) This is Rooster. My fleet may be small now, but it will grow in the future! Thanks for watching, and tune in next time!

1) Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays to all!

2) I think it’s time we had a talk. This channel is becoming more than a hobby to me, and you all deserve to know where we’ve been and where we’re going.

3) Rooster Life TV started out small, as a place to upload some snowboard videos that I used to practice my editing skills. Over time it evolved into mainly a vehicle how-to channel. This works well because my vehicles desperately need to be repaired. So, what does the future hold?

4) The vehicle focused videos are here to stay, with more than ever before. Snowboard videos will continue to pop up here and there. Video releases will try to stay at one per week.

5) Now for some other RLTV news! RLTV has a website! On it, you can find links to every video released, transcriptions for every video released, and links to more! Also, RLTV is on Patreon! Patreon supporters have access to videos a week early, Patreon-only videos, and special Merch!

6) T: Hold up, did you say MERCH!?

7) Yes, RLTV now has Merch available! T-shirts, hoodies, long sleeves, we have what you need! New designs are already in the works! Follow the links below to get yours now!

8) Is there anything else to cover? Oh, right! We need to talk about the Rooster Media Coop!

9) My desire to practice my editing and film production skills has led me to create TWO other YouTube channels! That’s right, TWO! Crazy, right?!

10) The first one is called Rooster Films Productions. This is where I will be testing and playing with different filming techniques and styles, as well as creating different short series of films. There will not be any upload schedule – videos will come out as I come up with them. One of these films is releasing now – Rooster Overland!

11) The other channel is called Rooster Amateur Radio. This is meant to be an educational channel focused on Ham Radio, also known as Amateur Radio. For many it is a hobby. I see it as more. This channel will focus on all sorts of ham radio topics, from products reviews to radio bag setups to current radio news issues. The goal is to hit between two and four videos released a month.

12) Rooster Life TV. Rooster Films. Rooster Amateur Radio. All of these fall under what I have decided to call the Rooster Media Coop. See what I did there? Roosters live in coops, get it?! I’m such a nerd, please send help!

13) That’s it everyone! Follow the links below for Merch and other content from the Rooster Media Coop! Tune in next week for the regularly scheduled programming! Rooster out!

1) Does your Wagon suffer from dirty fenders and quarter panels? Are you tired of cringing over your paint job every time you drive through a puddle? Well stay tuned, because I have a fool-proof solution for you! And this just may be the quickest Rooster How-To yet!

2) I have wanted to install splash guards to compliment the all-terrain tires for some time. A set of factory ones from Volkswagen can run in the $100 range. This set was on Amazon for $15. Having been a Volkswagen Technician myself for a few years, I was surprised at just how easy these installed, compared to some of these newer Volkswagen models out there.

3) Because these splash guards are so simple to install, there are only a few tools you will need: a Phillips bit, a T25 Torx bit, a bit driver, and a torque wrench if a wheel is removed.

4) Let’s start with the front. Turning the front wheels to full lock gives us plenty of room to work. It also would be a good idea to clean the work area first, which I obviously did not do. Good job Rooster!

5) Remove the T25 Torx bolt that holds the plastic trim in place. Line up the splash guard with the curve and the hole. Reinstall the T25 Torx bolt to hold everything in place.

6) At this point, you could drill some pilot holes for the other bolts to install, but I decided to let them be self-tapping. And it seemed to work pretty well.

7) And there you have it, folks. Front splash guards installed quick and easy. Let’s move onto the rear.

8) The rear splash guards are even easier to install than the front. They have a channel that simply fits over the edge of the bumper and is held in place by friction of the channel itself.

9) Here we see one of the few downsides to having oversize tires. I ended up having to remove the rear tire to get a better working angle to install the splash guard. And during all this, my camera operator forgot to focus the camera! I thought they were a professional!

10) A hole could be drilled though the splash guard and the bumper edge to secure everything together. I may do that in the future.

11) Splash guards are not only functional, they also improve the look. The Wagon is now ready for more dirty roads! This is Rooster, have a splash on me!

1) Mmmm, that’s not bad… neither is that one… EWWW!!!! Who would let these get this bad?!

2) The answer: I would. I’ve been sitting on these parts for almost a year. Yay for procrastination!

3) Welcome to another worn out parts video. Except this isn’t another worn out parts video, it’s a parts nonexistent video. Let me show you what I mean.

4) There are eight body mounts on the Sport Trac. The front and rear body mounts are rubber. The center body mounts are foam. Rather, they WERE foam mounts. Now they’re just two pieces of metal held together by rust and a bolt. The foam core has completely disintegrated. These should have been replaced a long time ago. Better late than never!

5) I browsed the internets and found a nice set of polyurethane mounts. This kit will replace all the body mounts, including the rubber ones. Since these poly mounts are more rigid than foam or rubber, road noise inside the cab can increase depending on the tire being used.

6) The mount locations are as follows per side: one by the radiator, one by the A pillar, one by the B pillar, and one at the rear of the cab.

7) I started this job a week before filming, by soaking each bolt with rust penetrant every day. I’m expecting a fight from these bolts, so I want every advantage I can get.

8) Trim panels and flooring will need to be removed for access to the bolt heads. The front seats will also need to be removed. There are four 10mm bolts for the seat and one T50 bolt for the seatbelt.

9) With the seat out and the trim removed, peel back the flooring. There will be rubber grommets that cover the bolt holes. A pocket screwdriver works well to remove these.

10) Ah, Dora’s nemesis, RUST!!!! The most reliable thing in the universe, next to a dog!

11) An impact gun was the best option for removing these pesky bolts. The repetitive impacts helps to break the rust up and allow the bolt to turn. I will be replacing all these bolts with new ones.

12) Working on one side at a time, remove all the bolts. Then use a floor jack to raise the body from the frame just enough to work the mounts out. Be careful of the ground straps on both sides.

13) These passenger side mounts are rusted to paper. In a perfect world, the two halves separate like the driver side ones. But this world is not perfect. Some rusted apart, others had to be cut apart.

14) During my test assembly, I noticed the A and B pillar mount bottoms would fit the new mounts better if they were swapped around. These may have been swapped around when the body lift kit was installed by a previous owner, or I am just a goober and creating more problems for myself in the future.

15) I did decide to strengthen the B pillar mount lower section because most of it rusted away. Welding a washer gives the mount a bit more rigidity and some peace of mind.

16) All the mounts go together relatively the same way. My kit came with instructions, which I actually read! It had pictures and everything! Daystar is so thoughtful!

17) The rear-most mount has a secondary cup that sits between the top bushing and the mount. This cup is not needed with the new bushings.

18) The rear-most bushing did have to be pressed onto the top mount section. I know a bench vise is not designed to be a clamp, but I do not own a press and am currently a non-monetized YouTuber. I gotta use what I have on hand!

19) Get all the mounts mounted and start all the bolts. Lower the body onto the frame. Tighten down all the bolts to 45 ftlbs, which is also 2 ugga-duggas. Some thread locker can’t hurt either.

20) Reassemble the rest of the interior and take a test drive. I could tell a major difference in the stiffness of the Sport Trac. Almost handles like a racecar!

21) This is Rooster, and my body is ready to be mounted in a nice soft bed after a hard day’s work. Until next time! Rooster out!

1) Installing a tow hitch bar is a simple task. On the Waaagon, it required drilling a couple holes in the spare tire well and bolting it in place. This allowed me to tow a grass trailer with ease when I mowed lawns for a few summers.

2) While the towing capacity of the Waaagon is small, some trailers may be wider than the taillights, requiring lights on the trailer itself. The Waaagon does not have any trailer wiring harness installed, so that’s what today’s video is all about.

3) This trailer harness was less than $30 on Amazon. It is a splice-in style, so I also purchased a set of heat shrink butt connectors to replenish my stock. The wagon has a separate turn signal from the taillight. Most trailers have the turn signal and taillight combined. This harness converts the “3 wire” setup to a “2 wire” setup. Let’s get down to business.

4) There are only a few tools you will need: T25 and T30 bits, a ratchet or bit driver, a, 8mm socket with extension, a 90 degree pick, some mechanic’s wire, wire strippers, your favorite crimpers, a heat gun or a lighter, a ridiculously long flathead screwdriver, and a test light.

5) Start by removing the side panel to access the rear taillight assembly. Leave the connectors connected for the moment.

6) We need to figure out where to run the wiring to the exterior of the vehicle. I decided on using the body vents. These are what keep the windows from blowing out when a door is closed.

7) Removing the driver side of the rear bumper cover allowed for plenty of access to the exterior of this vent. There are two T30 bolts on next to the taillight and three T25 screws on the fender liner to remove. Then the bumper cover slides towards the rear of the Waaagon to detach from the tabs.

8) Take a long screwdriver and press down on the top two tabs for the body vent.

9) Once the tabs are pressed down the body vent should pop out of its hole.

10) The wiring for the trailer side is fed down below the jack holder, through the body vent, with the module kept in the interior to protect it from the elements.

11) Now that our wires have been run, we can start splicing into the existing harness. Find a wiring diagram of your choosing or use the one I provided to keep track of everything.

12) Disconnect the connector from the taillight. A 90 degree pick makes easy work of the side clips.

13) If you are worried about shocking yourself, the battery can also be disconnected. Cut each wire one at a time to reduce the chance of sparks. My personal preference is to splice the new wire on the connector side of the wiring harness. Repeat this process for the rest of the wires.

14) Three of the wires splice into the driver-side rear taillight. The green wire runs underneath the bottom trim panels over to the passenger-side taillight and splices into the right turn signal. The white wire is the ground, and is connected to one of the taillight bolts.

15) Before heat shrinking all the splices, verify the new harness works. If a trailer is handy, connect it up and see. If not, a test light can function in place of a trailer.

16) Once everything checks out, finish up the wiring and reinstall the bumper cover and side panel.

17) Quick note. Some reviews of this harness mentioned the cruise control shuts off when a turn signal is used. During my test drive with no trailer connected, I did not have this issue. I suspect the cause to be the harness combining the turn signal and brake signal for the trailer lights. When this happens, the car senses the brake pedal has been pressed, which deactivates the cruise control. I see this as a minor issue since cruise control is not recommended with certain trailers.

18) There you have it! The Waaagon can now legally pull a trailer with lights. This is Rooster, time to pull some trailers!

1) Don’t you just hate it when after years and years of existing, things just start flapping around? I do too. It’s time to get Dora all stuck back together again.

2) There are only a few tools you will need: a razor blade, a plastic razor blade, your choice of Scotch-Brite Pads or grinding flaps, and a large eraser wheel.

3) Word of caution: the processes shown here can be hard on the paint. I am in no way claiming to be an expert on body work. This is merely one way to do this repair. If your vehicle’s paint is super important to you, consult a paint & body technician before attempting this yourself.

4) Start by using the razor blade to cut the remaining sticky stuff away from the tailgate, separating the panel completely. With the panel removed you can see where the F150 logo position was.

5) Today’s cleaning showdown will be between the tiny plastic razor blade and the mighty thick eraser wheel. Let’s get ready to rumble!!!! (camera shake effect DR?)

6) Straight out the box the eraser wheel takes the lead! It’s spinning like crazy, cutting through the residue like butter! It’s angry!

7) The plastic razor blade takes the tortoise approach, attacking with diligence and a mean sawing motion!

8) The eraser wheel is just destroying itself to get the job done! I’ve never seen such dedication to a job!

9) Plastic razor blade is still chopping away, it hasn’t given up yet! This is going to be a close one folks!

*Camera cuts to editing of video, Tterrag sitting in chair. Garrett comes up from the side*

Garrett: What are you doing?

Tterrag: Uh, editing a video?

Garrett: Nope, that’s my job!

*Garrett tries to take the mic away from Tterrag*

Tterrag: Stop, I wanna do the video!

Garrett: I do the edits, not you!

10) Sorry everyone, I take my eye off him for one second and the world goes absolutely nuts! Let’s get back to the normal video.

11) As you could see, the plastic razor blade works in a pinch, but the rubber eraser wheel removes everything in its path. It’s a great choice if you’re willing to clean the mess afterwards.

12) Unfortunately, some spots of paint came off while cleaning the tailgate. This is because a prior owner used silicone to do a quick repair. Over time, it bonded to the paint. When the rubber eraser wheel made contact, the paint left as well.

13) A few quick spirts of color close paint covers the exposed metal. Over time, exposure to the elements will fade the new paint to match the factory paint. I know this because the bumper pads I painted last spring have faded in the same way.

14) With the tailgate all cleaned up, it’s time to focus on cleaning the panel.

15) The rubber eraser wheel could be used here as well, but I chose to go with one of these Scotch-Brite Pads. It quickly eats away the old adhesive. Just pay attention to how deep you press the pad, as it can easily start eating into the plastic of the panel.

16) With both surfaces cleaned, install the new 3M tape. Center it in both grooves on the panel, making sure it is firmly attached.

17) Line up the panel onto the tailgate. The edges should line up with the lip below the taillights. Slowly work the tape cover off while pressing firmly to seat the panel to the tailgate.

18) Give everything a final pressing and look over, then step back and admire your work. Painter’s tape could be applied to help hold pressure while everything sets. For the best results, don’t let the new tape be exposed to the elements for 24 hours.

19) This is Rooster, and that’s enough body work for me!

*Tterrag traps Garrett in Mustang trunk*

*Camera exterior. Garrett is “working” in trunk. Tterrag runs up and slams the lid shut then runs away.*

*Camera cuts into trunk, cell phone footage Garrett open trunk inside*

*Narrator voice fades in over second half of skit*

1) Getting trapped in the trunk of a car can be scary and dangerous. For years now, auto manufacturers have developed manual releases for the trunks and tailgates to reduce the chance of being trapped. The Mustang has a great example of this via this handle.

2) The Waaagon does not have a feature like this. While I do understand it is quite hard to be trapped in the back of a wagon, I think a manual release is still a good idea. Especially since I like to car camp in the wagon, as climbing in and out of the side doors is a bit… awkward…

3) Now that the intro’s over, today’s vehicle project is going to be to install a release button somewhere in the rear cargo area that will allow the tailgate to be opened from the inside.

4) I figured the best place to start would be taking off the tailgate interior trim panel, allowing me to see all the guts of the latching mechanism. There are four Philips screws and a bunch of clips to release by pulling straight down.

5) Now I can see all the guts. Germans sure do love their electronics and wires!

6) This actuator off to the passenger side looks promising. The arm is connected to this cable, and when the cable is pulled, the latch mechanism is released. I grabbed my Hayne’s manual for a wiring diagram and figured out which wire was power and which one was ground. Using my Power Probe, I verified brown is ground (a common Volkswagen theme) and the blue wire is power when the key fob or door switch is activated. These tests could easily be done with a multimeter.

7) To see the actuator in action, I used the Power Probe to send power down the blue wire pin. This retracts the arm, pulling the cable with it, unlatching the tailgate.

8) All I needed to do now was find a way to install a momentary switch to activate this actuator. Not wanting to put the button in the tailgate hatch itself, I traced the blue wiring back through the tailgate, through the roof, down the D pillar, and to behind the passenger taillight assembly. That’s where the connection block was mounted. The blue wire ran through this block, so I detached it from its mount for a better look.

9) At this point, I used the Power Probe again to verify the blue wire was indeed for the actuator. The wiring continued deeper into the interior after the connection block. It passed by the two 12-volt ports, and I realized this was the perfect place to mount and install the new switch.

10) I drilled a hole between the two power ports for the switch. Some super glue held it in place nicely.

11) The Power Probe was once again used to locate a wire that had a constant 12 volts of power I could tie the switch wiring into.

12) Quick note: The wire you are about to see me tie into is not a good choice. This power wire is for the interior lighting and some other circuit I have yet to determine. This other circuit prevents the engine from starting when the fuse is blown. I found this out the hard way. That’s when I used my fuse amp tester to realize the amperage pulled by the actuator was around 24 amps. That is way too many amps for this circuit and wire size.

13) If you are copying this idea, a better wire to tie into would be the power wire to one of the 12-volt outlets. Those circuits are designed for that kind of load.

14) Quick note number 2: Power Probes are not tools for novices. A lot of damage can be done if power or ground is applied to the wrong wire. Some mechanics and technicians believe there is no place in a professional toolbox for a Power Probe. Take a moment to read the manual before using for the first time, double check your wiring diagram, and use at your own risk.

15) With the wiring all connected it was time to test the circuit. Fortunately, it all worked properly!

16) Now I can open the tailgate from inside the rear cargo area with ease. No more awkward exits on the next road trip! This is Rooster, pressing buttons can be fun!

1) You see this switch right here? All is does is go on, off, on, off. #BORING!!!!

2) And do you see how bland the front lights are on this Passat? It’s just so blehhhh!

3) We need to spice things up a bit! And there’s only one way to do it: New parts! New parts! New parts!

4) What new parts are we putting on today? I’m glad you asked! We are putting in a Euro-style headlight switch, new bumper indicators, and some new front turn signals. The Euro-style headlight switch will allow for more individual control on the vehicle’s lighting. The indicators and turn signals will eliminate the ugly amber from the front. And since we’re in there, I’ll show you how to disable the Daytime Running Lights as well!

5) There are only a few tools you will need for any of these jobs that are done today: a pocket screwdriver, a trim removal tool, and possibly some electrical tape.

6) Let’s start with the headlight switch, so we can easily verify each new part as it is installed. All the nagging I do about engineers does get tiring for me, but this time the engineers were quite smart. To remove the headlight switch, simply push in on the dial, rotate it clockwise, and pull out. This causes the tabs on the sides to retract, allowing the switch to be removed easily.

7) Quick note: the vehicle lights will turn on when the headlight switch is removed. This is a safety feature built into the system. It ensures the lights will work if the headlight switch fails at any time.

8) Disconnect the connector from the back of the switch. Connect the connector to the connection point on the new Euro-Style headlight switch. Reinstall the new switch the opposite way of removal.

9) Verify all the lights work. The old switch turned all the lights on or all the lights off. The new Euro-Style switch allows the parking lights to be turned on separately from the headlights and also allows the rear fog lights to be turned on if your vehicle has rear fog lights installed. My Wagon does not.

10) Now it’s time to get rid of the amber, starting with the bumper indicators. Simply press in on the side of the indicator. Use a trim tool or a pocket screwdriver to push the indicator sideways, allowing the tab on the edge to pop out of the bumper. Disconnect the bulb from the old indicator and transfer the bulb to the new one. These indicators did not come with new amber bulbs, so I had to supply my own. Reinstall the indicator to the bumper cover. Verify the new indicators work.

11) Next up are the turn signals in the side of the front fenders. Using the plastic trim tool, pop out the old turn signal. Depending on the replacement turn signal, swap the bulbs over or simply connect the pigtail of the new turn signal. Pop the turn signal back into the fender. The new turn signals I have here stick out of the fender about ¼ inch, or around 6 millimeters for you metric folk out there. Verify the turn signals work on both sides.

12) Did I mention these are some fancy turn signal indicators? How cool are these?!!!

13) Let’s recap what we’ve done so far: we replaced the headlight switch with a far superior one, we replaced the bumper indicators with some darker ones, and we replaced the fender turn signals with some fancy ones. Was there anything we missed?

14) Oh, right! Disabling the Daytime Running Lights! Before doing this modification, check with your local laws on whether Daytime Running Lights are required. I will not be responsible if you decide to break the law.

15) Start with removing the headlight switch and disconnect the connector from the back. All we must do now is remove some wires from this connector. If using the factory switch, there is only one wire to remove. If using a Euro-style switch, there are two wires to remove. The ideal tool to use would be a terminal removal tool, but a pocket screwdriver works just as well. Remove the white with yellow wire in pin 6 (Factory Switch only) and pin 5 (Euro Switch) from the connector. Lay the wire back onto the wiring harness and tape it down. This allows for the Daytime Running Lights to be reactivated in the future if needed. Reconnect the connector and reinstall the headlight switch.

16) Is this not a much better look for the Wagon?! Now all that’s left to fix are the headlight assemblies. Be on the lookout for that video in the future! This is Rooster. Light it up, buttercup!

1) Remember back in the shocks video how I said I was not a smart man for not replacing all the parts at once? Well, we are gathered here today to add to that statement.

2) This video is all about ball joints. Specifically, the front ones on Dora. I definitely, 100%, no doubt installed the new ball joints when all the other front suspension work was filmed. Anyone who says I didn’t have the correct tools at the time when everything else was filmed and didn’t replace the ball joints then is most definitely lying. You can’t put anything on the internet that isn’t true!

3) Jokes aside, not having the correct tool didn’t stop me from trying. I started with a simple pry bar, added some rust penetrant, used my handy dandy air hammer, started a fire, and pickled some forks – but to no avail. I did some research by looking at the Haynes manual, and they say the ball joints are not replaceable from the lower control arms. Did I ever tell you how I feel about engineers?

4) Everywhere else on the internet said it could be done, with the correct tools. So I now have the correct tools for the job and a determination to prove Hayne’s wrong. Let’s get to it!

5) Here’s the tools needed: the ball joint press kit, ball joint separator, 1 1/16th sockets and your choice of ratchet, and a grease/gun. The pickle fork was not helpful at all.

6) And here’s the new parts: the ball joint, the snap ring, the grease fitting, nut and cotter pin.

7) As I stated earlier, I definitely replaced these when all the other suspension components were replaced. To save some time, I’m going to skip ahead to the ball joint section.

8) Ok, stop right there. Perfect! Let’s jump right in. Remove the cotter pin and nut for the lower ball joint.

9) Use the ball joint separator to separate the spindle from the ball joint shaft. Set the spindle off to the side.

10) Remove the snap ring from the top of the ball joint. Spray some rust penetrant to help with the joint removal.

11) Select the correct size of outer shell for the ball joint press. Position the press on the ball joint. Make a note of where the ball joint sits in the control arm. Only use a socket and ratchet or wrench to turn the press. An impact gun can damage the threads on the press, which is NOT good, especially if you rent the tool.

12) With some slow and steady work, the ball joint will come out of the lower control arm. When it is free, use a rag to clean the inside of the joint seat of any rust or debris.

13) Swap the ends of the ball joint press to install the new ball joint. Press the ball joint into the original orientation as the old ball joint. Reinstall the snap ring and grease fitting.

14) Before moving on with installing the rest of the components, put a few squirts of grease into the grease fitting. Trust me, it’s way easier when things are all apart.

15) Now that the new ball joints are in, I’m going to fast forward to the test drive. Check out the other video for the rest of the suspension replacements! This is Rooster, with one final bit of advice: keep your balls and joints lubricated and they will give you fun for years!

1) Having a dual color door panel gives the Mustang interior a nice and subtle flare. Unfortunately, the years of summer heat have finally won, and both of the black inserts are falling off the door panels. These then get snagged whenever getting into or out of the car and when reaching for the seatbelt, which keeps adding to the deterioration.

2) The painter’s tape was only a temporary solution. Before I drop the big dollars on some brand new inserts, I am going to try some spray adhesive in a salvage attempt first.

3) I pulled back the black insert to clean out the old foam adhesive off. Rubbing my fingers over the old foam seemed to work the best at removing it from the panel. Then a shop-vac finished the rest.

4) Both the black insert and the door panel were given a coat of the spray adhesive.

5) I really should have taken the time to tape up the outside edge of this door panel to reduce the overspray. But I didn’t. Do as I say, not as I do.

6) After waiting 30 seconds per the can’s directions, the black insert could be reattached to the panel. Work from the bottom up to prevent air bubbles from forming behind the insert.

7) A trim removal tool worked surprisingly well for tucking in the edge of the insert to the door panel.

8) After letting the panels sit overnight to dry, I returned the Mustang to its hot outside living.

9) It’s horrible. Just a disaster. All that work for nothing! Oh, the humanity!

10) After inspecting the loose insert, it revealed that I may not have made the adhesive coat thick enough the first time around. In less than two weeks it was peeling off again.

11) Time for round two. I will also tape up the door panel before spraying. I guess old dogs really can learn new tricks!

12) Here comes the heavy coat of sticky stuff. With the tape catching the overspray, I made sure to get deep into the groove.

13) After 30 seconds, I worked the insert back into place. Once it was holding, I removed the tape and cleaned up any leftover residue. Then one final pressing of the groove for good measure.

14) This is Rooster, thanks for sticking around!

*IN PROCESS OF BEING COMPLETED*

1) See that little shiny piece of metal there? That’s holding the glove box door shut on the Waaagon. It’s functional, but I’m very tired of looking at it. So let’s finally replace the glove box door once and for all.

2) The door’s internal latch had been broken sometime in the past, before I owned the Waaagon. The handle has been flopping around and the latch tabs on the side are stuck in. The previous owner held the door closed with a few strips of Hook and Loop. This worked ok, except for summertime, where the heat undid all the sticky stuff that held the hook and loop in place. My temporary fix was to put a sliding tab that held the door up. But enough temporary fixes. It’s time for a real fix.

3) Unfortunately, the handle latch mechanism is not replaceable separately from the door. So the whole door has to be replaced.

4) There are only a few tools you will need for this replacement: a pocket screwdriver, a straight pick, vice grips or pliers, long and short T20 Torx bits, and an optional bit driver.

5) If you have not done so already, remove any items stored in the glove box. The whole glove box assembly needs to be removed to replace the door.

6) Start with removing the glove box light. Use the pocket screwdriver to pry up the far side and work the light out. Be careful of the switch tab on the light when removing. Disconnect the electrical connector for the light and tuck it through the hole.

7) Now for the glove box itself. There are five bolts on the inside of the glove box and two bolts on the bottom side. One of my bottom side bolts is missing completely. Must not be that important.

8) Once all seven bolts have been removed, the entire glove box will come out of the dash.

9) It’s time for the main event: removing the door from the box. Start with the control gear on the side. There is a T20 Torx bolt holding it in place.

10) Remove the two pins on each hinge for the door.

11) Work the door off the glove box, carefully removing the arms from the slides.

12) Preceding installation of the new door, the lock cylinder needs to be transferred from the old door to the new door. Looking underneath the handle, we can see the lock cylinder held in place by four plastic tabs. Use a pocket screwdriver to bend these tabs back enough for the lock cylinder to slide out. The older the door is, the more likely the tabs will break off, like mine. I wish you good luck. I found it helps to keep some pressure on the backside of the lock cylinder to prevent the tabs from falling back in place.

13) And at this point is when SHTF. Learn from my mistakes, you’ll be much happier. When all the plastic tabs were loose, the pressure I had on the backside of the lock cylinder shot the cylinder out like a bullet. The cylinder went flying. The internals flew out into oblivion. Some choice words were said that can’t be spoken on daytime television. All of this could have been avoided if I had been prepared to catch the lock cylinder in the first place.

14) Somehow, I managed to recover all the internal pieces except for one teeny tiny spring. Because of this, I left out the last lock pin when reassembling the cylinder.

15) Before reinstalling the springs, install the lock pins in varying orders until the correct order is found. The outside of the lock cylinder should be smooth when the key is fully inserted. Once the correct order is determined, install the springs for each pin. Compress the pins down and insert the key. This will prevent any further surprises when reinstalling.

16) Installation of the lock cylinder to the new door is simple. Slide the lock in with the same orientation as it was removed until all four plastic tabs click in place. Rotate the key to insure proper operation of the lock cylinder.

17) Installing the new door is the reverse of removal. Line up the arms and the hinges. Reinstall the pins to the hinges. Reinstall the control gear. At this point it’s a good idea to verify that the door moves freely with the box.

18) Slide the glove box assembly back into the dash and reinstall all seven bolts.

19) Reinstall the glove box light, being careful of the switch tab.

20) Lastly, verify the glove box door functions properly.

21) This is Rooster, and it’s time to put my gloves away. See you around!

1) It’s time for a little break from the How-To videos. Today I am doing more cleaning up of the wiring for the additional lighting on Dora. The lights are all run off of this single bolt on the engine fuse box. And that’s just not good.

2) To solve this, I am going to use a salvaged Volkswagen fuse box. This is normally found on the New Beetles. There were four large fuses that spanned the bolts. There is a spot for a fifth bolt terminal. Lastly, there are three regular fuse slots at the end. As you can see, one of the fuses melted in the far terminal. I rescued this fuse box from the trash since many of the terminals are still fine.

3) First, I broke the fuse box apart for some deep cleaning. I also removed the burnt terminal to prevent it from being used again.

4) Then I drilled out the fifth bolt terminal holes and put spare bolts in those holes. Once everything was cleaned, I reassembled the fuse box.

5) I made new “fuse” replacements – also called bus bars - out of some hose clamps. I am not running high current lights so these should hold up just fine.

6) I installed new fuses in the remaining good fuse slots for any future projects I might have.

7) For the final touch, I covered the bus bars with some hot glue to prevent any accidental grounding out.

8) I then used hot glue on the back side of the box to create a good mounting point for the Velcro pieces.

9) I cleaned the surface of the engine fuse box and mounted the Volkswagen fuse box via the Velcro.

10) Then I removed the wires from the single bolt and installed the Volkswagen fuse box wire to the bolt. Each wire was then moved its own bolt terminal.

11) All that was left to do was trim the engine fuse box bolt cover.

12) Unfortunately, I did not save the Volkswagen fuse box cover. I should have my trusty old coworker keep an eye out for one.

13) And I must have done a good install because all the lights still work!

14) This is Rooster, and I am too wired to continue this video.

*Tterrag Nhah is playing in the engine bay of Dora. He pulls a connector off, dabs dielectric grease in it, installs it, starts congratulating himself. Garrett walks over to Tterrag.*

Garrett: “What are you so happy about?”

Tterrag: Well there were some electrical issues here, but I fixed them with some dielectric grease in the connector. This stuff is magic, you know?

*Tterrag holds up bottle of dielectric grease.*

Garrett: (Shaking his head) Well I hate to burst your bubble, but putting dielectric grease on electrical terminals does NOT help the conductivity.

Tterrag: Now that’s crazy talk!

Garrett: (Holds up iPad, sets it on engine bay, Tterrag picks it up) Here, this YouTube video explains it perfectly. It’s from the Rooster Life TV channel. The guy calls himself Rooster, no one seems to know why. Anyway, check it out, there’s some good stuff in it.

Tterrag: I still think you’re wrong, but I’ll give it a look, because that’s what bros do. High Five?!

*Tterrag goes up for a High Five, Garrett shakes his head and walks away.*

*Camera cuts to “Over the shoulder” shot of Tterrag starting the video on the iPad. Zoom in until screen is filled by the video.*

1) There’s a common idea out there that Dielectric grease improves conductivity between connections. I have some bad news though, and it will surely burst your bubble. But it will lead to learning and a better bubble in the future.

2) Here it is: Dielectric grease is NOT conductive. Let me repeat that: Dielectric grease is NOT conductive. And I can prove it.

3) For starters, here’s the label on the dielectric grease bottle. Nowhere does it say “This product improves conductivity.”

4) Many of you are probably saying “But I disconnected my connector and applied the dielectric grease and reconnected it and it works better!” and “Dielectric had “electric” in the name, it has to be conductive!” All I have to say to you is, looks and the English language can both be deceiving.

5) Before diving in further, we need to discuss how connections lose conductivity, in the simplest of terms. Touch any two common pieces of metal together and an electrical current will pass between them with ease. A connector keeps these two pieces pressed against each other, ensuring reliable contact.

6) Over time, exposure to the air and elements will cause oxidation and corrosion on these metals and their contact surfaces. Oxidation and corrosion are not good conductors of electricity. This leads to the connection becoming less conductive and eventually failing. *Drawing of Corroded contacts*

7) This is where the dielectric grease is comes in. The only purpose of the grease is to prevent the air and the elements from interacting with the metals. No interaction means no oxidation or corrosion can happen which means no loss of conductivity. *Drawing of grease preventing getting in*

8) When a connector is disconnected to apply dielectric grease, what’s truly happening is the corrosion and oxidation are being scraped off by the mere act of disconnecting the connector. *Drawing of connector scraping off corrosion* This creates a fresh patch of metal, eager to conduct. Connectors are designed to have the same parts of metal touch each other consistently. When the greasy connector is reconnected, the dielectric grease is getting scraped out of the way of the metal contact surface, meaning metal is only touching metal. No grease is involved in the contact surface.

9) Still not a believer? Keep watching for some practical testing!

10) As seen before, this lug nut sits on the aluminum plate. Both metals are conductive, so the meter goes beep. If I apply dielectric grease to the contact surface and gently set the lug nut on the aluminum plate, there is no current flow, and the meter does not beep. *Close up/ Drawing gap?*

11) Once I start to press down on the lug nut, it pushes the dielectric grease aside and contacts the aluminum plate, allowing the meter to beep. *Close up/ Drawing gap?*

12) Here’s another test. I have this tail light bulb wired up to this 9 volt battery. There is no dielectric grease present. Now I’ll put a healthy scoop of dielectric grease on one of the wire ends and gently touch it to the open battery terminal. The light does not light.

13) Here’s a close up. It is only when I push the wire end through the grease and into direct contact with the battery terminal that current is allowed to flow, and the light turns on.

14) One final test. I’m setting the grease brush with excess grease on the plate. Then I take the meter leads, after confirming they have a good connection to each other, and stick them in the grease. No connection is present until the leads touch each other inside the grease.

15) So, what’s the moral of the story? Dielectric grease is not conductive itself and only promotes conductivity by eliminating the variables that cause oxidation and corrosion in the first place.

*Right before credits roll on the iPad video, camera cuts to Tterrag, with the iPad visible playing the credits. Tterrag looks up from the iPad. The “Not Bad” look is on his face.*

Tterrag: Welp, my mind is changed. You definitely learn something new every day. But I can’t let Garrett know that he was right. It would all go straight to his head.

Garrett: (In the background) I heard that!

Tterrag: Oh sh-!

*Camera quick cuts out to credits for iPad video.*

1) While I was replacing Dora’s valve cover gaskets, I noticed a small coolant leak coming from the thermostat housing. Since I was already working in the engine, I decided to replace the thermostat housing as well.

2) If you’re new to the channel, Dora is my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. This replacement procedure should be the same for all Fords with the 4.0L SOHC V6 Engine.

3) These thermostat housings are self-contained units, meaning the thermostat, temperature sensors, and housing are all one unit.

4) Only a few tools will be needed for this job: your hose clamp tool of choice, a hose pliers, a trim removal tool, some picks, some extensions, a 7mm, 8mm, and 10mm sockets, a ¼ inch ratchet, some wrenches for the hard to reach bolts, and a gasket scraper. Again, the bit driver is optional to speed things up a bit. The needle nose pliers and forceps are used to fish out any debris that falls into the coolant passages.

5) Start by draining the engine coolant. Most radiators have a drain on one side at the bottom.

6) Next remove the air intake assembly. This gives us plenty of room to access to the thermostat housing.

7) Remove the four bolts that hold the throttle body in place. Set it off to the side, out of the way.

8) Disconnect the alternator wiring harness from the alternator and move it away from the thermostat housing. If the battery was not disconnected, wrap the end of the wire to prevent accidental sparking.

9) Using your preferred hose clamp tool, remove the upper radiator hose from the housing.

10) To access the rear bolts of the housing, the upper radiator hose outlet must be removed from the housing. There are three bolts that hold this outlet in place.

11) Remove the thermostat from the housing. From here on be careful not to drop any bolts or tools into the opening, as they could disappear into the engine bowels, never to be seen again by the light of day.

12) Remove the small radiator hose from the housing. I am not using the correct tool for the clamp because I forgot I had the blue hose clamp pliers in my toolbox. If only someone had created a video telling me what tools I required in the first place…

13) Remove the three bolts that hold the housing in place. Also, if the electrical connectors for the temperature sensors have not yet been disconnected, do so now.

14) There is one more coolant hose to disconnect at the bottom of the housing. Remove the old thermostat housing from the engine block.

15) Just look at all this tasty goodness. A rat probably got in here at some point and nibbled at the space filler package and made themselves a nice little nest. After a quick hit with the vacuum cleaner, I did not find any rat remains, so PETA has nothing to worry about here.

16) I used the gasket scraper and a rag to clean up the mounting surface of the thermostat housing. I did have to go fishing for a couple small pieces of material inside the coolant passages.

17) Have you ever wondered how a thermostat works? Here’s the thermostat itself. The spring keeps the thermostat closed, preventing the coolant from circulating to the radiator. Instead, it is diverted back into the engine block. Once the coolant reaches a certain temperature, the thermostat opens, allowing coolant to flow to the radiator.

18) To see this work, I’ve placed the thermostat into a bowl of hot water. With a bit of editing skills, we can watch the thermostat open in record time. Pretty neat, right?

19) Alright, back to the regularly scheduled programming. Before installing the new thermostat housing to the engine block, disassemble the housing and remove the thermostat. We need some clearance, Clarence.

20) I found it easier to reconnect the coolant temperature sensor connectors and reconnect the lower coolant hose before installing the housing bolts.

21) The rest of the install is the reverse of removal.

22) Before reinstalling the air intake assembly, refill the coolant to check for any leaks. If none are found, reinstall the air intake assembly.

23) Anytime the coolant circuit is opened, the cooling system needs to be bled. This means getting all the air bubbles out of the system. A professional shop may have a vacuum fill system to do this. But I am not a professional shop, so I am using one of these handy dandy coolant fill funnel systems.

24) These work by becoming the highest point in the cooling system for air bubbles to escape. Fill the coolant without the engine running until no bubbles come out. Then start the engine and let it run at idle. Monitor the coolant level in the funnel and add if needed. The engine needs to run long enough to open the thermostat housing. Once the engine is at temperature and the bubbles stop coming, turn the engine off. Use the plunger to seal off the funnel. Remove the radiator adapter and reinstall the factory cap. Put the remaining coolant from the funnel into the coolant reservoir.

25) Then take a short test drive and monitor the engine coolant temperature gauge. If it jumps all over the place, there is a good chance air is still in the system. Repeat the funnel process if needed.

26) Do a final check and make sure no leaks are present. This is Rooster. Stay cool out there!

1) Oil is very important for an engine. It flows through every working part of the engine, lubricating all the mating surfaces. Oil literally keeps the engine from grenading itself. So it is best to keep the oil inside the engine. My Sport Trac, Dora, has decided to let all her oil out of the valve cover gaskets. So, today’s project is to stop her tantrum and fix the oil leaks.

2) If you’re new to the channel, Dora is my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. This replacement procedure should be the same for all Fords with the 4.0L SOHC V6 Engine. Removing the hood is not necessary. I am doing this to make filming a bit easier for myself.

3) There are a few tools you will need: a ¼ inch ratchet, a torque wrench, a 7mm, 8mm, and 10mm sockets, some extensions, a 90-degree pick, a trim removal tool, a gasket scraper tool, hose pliers, and a hose clamp pliers. Optional is the bit driver to reduce the manual effort.

4) Start with removing the air intake assembly. This is also not required, but does give a bit more room to work. A factory Sport Trac intake faces the passenger side of the engine bay. Mine is different because of another project I am working on.

5) We will now focus mostly on the driver valve cover, since this side has the most stuff to remove. Take a picture of all the routing of wires and hoses before removing.

6) Systematically work your way through removing all the electrical connectors, vacuum hose connections, and spark plug wires.

7) Remove the ignition coil from its mounting bracket. Then remove the ignition coil top two bolts on the intake manifold and the two bolts down below, on the side of the cylinder head.

8) Handle the small vacuum hoses with care, on an older vehicle like the Sport Trac the plastic does become brittle over time.

9) Remove the EGR Valve Vacuum Regulator Solenoid from the intake manifold. I try to make a habit of reinstalling bolts from where they were removed to reduce the change of losing them.

10) There is a vacuum hose hidden towards the back of the intake manifold. It is easily removed with a pair of hose pliers.

11) Use a 90 degree pick to disconnect the connectors for the injectors. There are two tabs on each side of the connector that hold it in place.

12) Disconnect any remaining electrical connectors and tuck the wiring harness up out of the way.

13) Pop out the PCV Hose from the back of the valve cover.

14) To get the fuel line out of the way, remove the front lower valve cover bolt and the two bolts that hold the line to the rail.

15) Remove the bolts for the valve covers. Two of the bolt are different than the rest, remember to reinstall them in the correct locations.

16) Remove the valve cover from the engine block. I was able to pry it loose from the cylinder head with a trim removal tool. If it is being stubborn, a rubber mallet can be used for some gentle percussive maintenance.

17) With the valve covers off, do a quick inspection of the internals. Check for any signs of oil starvation, abnormal metal wear, camshaft condition, and for any debris present. Also check the timing chains for any excessive play, as this could indicate a failed tensioner or stretched chain.

18) Clean off the mounting surfaces, and try to remove any sludge buildup inside the cylinder head.

19) Remove the old gasket material from the valve cover. As you can see, the old gasket has become hard and brittle. In this shot, the upper right corner of the valve cover is where the leak was coming from. The old gasket has nearly become flat, allowing oil to pass by with ease.

20) Clean off any oil buildup and residue that you can. If only I had a parts washer to throw things in. Perhaps one day…

21) Install the new valve cover gaskets to the valve cover. The new gasket has ridges on one side, this side is installed to the valve cover channel.

22) Put a thin layer of oil onto the gasket to provide a better seal.

23) Use a 90 degree pick to remove the gasket rings from the valve cover bolts. The new gasket rings should pop on with some ease.

24) Align the valve cover to the engine block and install two bolts by hand to keep it in place.

25) Install the rest of the bolts by hand, and torque to 88 inch pounds. My ¼ inch torque wrench is a bit worn, hence all the excessive popping you’re hearing.

26) Reinstall the rest of the driver side components in reverse order of removal.

27) The passenger side is similar to the driver side, with a bit less stuff on top to remove.

28) The upper radiator hose can be re-positioned to on top of the alternator.

29) One thing of note, there is one coolant hose that will need to be removed. I do not know why Ford did not just route it in front of the valve cover, especially since there is already another coolant hose run in that same area.

30) Once both sides are reinstalled, check the oil level and top off if needed.

31) Clean off any oil still on the outside of the engine. Depending on how long the oil sat outside the engine, the residue may not come off so easy.

32) Finally, reinstall the air intake if it was previously remove. Run the engine and take a test drive to ensure no leaks have returned.

33) Easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy. This is Rooster, saying Adios!

1) Welcome to another How-To Video that came about because I finally got tired at looking at broken parts. The lucky parts being replaced today are the cruise control switches mounted on the steering wheel in Dora.

2) Pretty much ever since I’ve owned Dora, the rubber faces of the cruise control switches have been cracked and wearing away. They now have deteriorated to the point of no return.

3) There are only a few tools needed to do this replacement: a ¼ inch ratchet with an 8mm socket, a pocket screwdriver, a Phillips screwdriver, and possibly a pair of pliers.

4) Replacing the cruise control switches requires removal of the airbag unit. Step one is to disconnect the vehicle battery and let it sit for a few minutes. This allows the capacitors and modules to de-power themselves, to reduce the chance of the airbag deploying.

5) Airbags deploy fast. Lightning fast. All it takes is a quick short to power to ignite the airbag. This is why the battery is disconnected first before the airbag is removed. Do not work directly in front of the air bag or leave any tools directly in its path. Tools in the face is not a fun time.

6) The last safety measure you can take before removing the airbag is to ground yourself on the vehicle chassis. This lowers the chance of static electricity setting off the airbag.

7) Use a pocket screwdriver to remove the cover for the airbag bolt, one on each side.

8) Under each cover is a single 8mm bolt holding the airbag to the steering wheel.

9) Pull the airbag straight out of the steering wheel. There is a connector on top of the airbag to disconnect.

10) When setting the airbag off to the side, have the face of the airbag pointing skywards. This lowers the chance of the airbag becoming a projectile if it accidentally goes off.

11) There are two Phillips screws that hold each switch to the steering wheel.

12) If only replacing the switches, disconnect the connector from the side of the switch.

13) If replacing the wiring harness alongside the switches, follow the routing of the old harness. The passenger side horn toggle may need to be removed to access the wiring harness.

14) For the driver side switch, there is a ground loop attached to the top screw. Best not to forget to reinstall that. (*Placed between 11 and 12)

15) Reinstall both switches to the steering wheel.

16) Reinstall the airbag to the steering wheel, making sure to reconnect the connector on top.

17) Make sure nothing is in the path of the airbag before reconnecting the battery. Stay off to the side when turning on the ignition for the first time. If the airbag does not go off, then you successfully replaced the switches!

18) This is Rooster, and I feel like this has been enough safety talk for today. Have a good one!

1) Holy crap, it’s a video that is not about the Sport Trac! What is this world coming to?!

2) I’ve had this Wagon for a few years now. Back then, I wanted another vehicle to supplement the Sport Trac. A coworker knew a guy and turned me onto this Wagon.

3) It needed some TLC – the exhaust rusted off before the catalytic converters, the valve covers were leaking like a Siv, the heater core was completely plugged, and it needed tires.

4) I welded the exhaust back in place, replaced the valve cover gaskets, pulled the dash out and replaced the heater core (there is a time lapse of this on this channel), and put some All-Terrain tires on it. Did I mention this Wagon is All Wheel Drive?

5) Ok, I’m getting a bit off topic. A common issue on Volkswagens is the ignition coil developing cracks and causing misfires when excessive moisture is in the air – fog, rain, snow.

6) How does one check for this issue? Simple – remove the engine covers and spray some water on the ignition coil while the engine is running. If the engine starts misfiring, remove the ignition coil and check for cracks.

7) The Waaagon is also overdue for spark plugs and the plug wires are mismatched from a previous misfire issue. So we are going to replace the ignition coil, the spark plugs, and the spark plug wires.

8) Here’s the tools you’ll need: a torque wrench, a 3/8 ratchet, a ¼ ratchet, a flathead screwdriver, a Philips screwdriver, a spark plug gap tool, a 10mm deep socket, a 5/8 spark plug socket with a swivel attachment, and some extensions.

9) If the engine covers have not yet been removed, remove them now.

10) Remove the connector on the side. These connectors have a tab to pull back on. This releases the clip. A flathead screwdriver can help loosen the tab. There is also a special tool out there for this, but it is hit or miss on how well it works.

11) Remove the front spark plug wires from the coil. Remove the 10mm nut for the RF Dongle. Then remove the four 10mm bolts that hold the coil in place. Once it is removed it allows for easier removal of the remaining three spark plug wires.

12) With the coil fully removed, we can closely inspect for any cracks. Look here, there’s a nice size crack on the connector body. This could have been the issue causing the misfires.

13) Remove the air filter housing cover and the coolant reservoir, held in by three Phillips screws. Disconnect the electrical connector on the bottom side of the reservoir. Removing these two things gives us better access to the rear spark plug holes.

14) Remove the spark plug wires from the spark plug holes. A slight twist when pulling can loosen the grip on the spark plug.

15) Looking into the spark plug holes, we can see some oil leaking into the holes. This is coming from the valve cover gasket. These B5 Passats are notorious for these gaskets leaking. I’ll have to do a video on them in the future.

16) The spark plugs are 5/8 size, I highly recommend either buying a spark plug socket with a built in swivel socket or using a separate swivel socket attached. It’s a night and day difference on ease of access.

17) Oh wow. These spark plugs are way over due to be replaced. The contact tip has completely worn. Here’s a side by side comparison to a new spark plug.

18) Time to gap the spark plugs. For this 2.8L V6 DOHC engine, the specification is 0.063 inches – I mean, 1.6mm since this is a metric vehicle. Always double check the spark plug gap before installing spark plugs. From the box, the spark plug gap is only 0.036 inches/0.91mm.

19) Install the new spark plugs by hand to prevent any cross threading.

20) Torque the spark plugs to 22 foot-pounds, or 30 newton-meters.

21) The spark plug wires are all numbered. Every cylinder is numbered. Match the numbers for easy install.

22) The ignition coil is labeled for where each wire goes.

23) I recommend installing all the spark plug wires to the ignition coil and then installing the ignition coil.

24) Do NOT forget to reinstall the RF Dongle.

25) Route the spark plug wires the same way as the old wires.

26) Reinstall the coolant reservoir. Make sure to reconnect the electrical connector on the bottom, otherwise the instrument cluster will scream at you to stop.

27) Run the engine to test everything out. Since I had oil leaking into the spark plug holes, there was a bit of smoke that came out of the exhaust. This smoke cleared within a minute of the engine starting.

28) Reinstall the engine covers and take a test drive.

29) This is Rooster, and the Waaagon is now ready for the road.

1) If you were paying attention during my Suspension Replacement video, the front shocks on the Sport Trac are leaking. No Bueno.

2) The smart thing would have been to replace them at the same time as everything else. But I never claimed to be a smart man. (say like Forrest Gump)

3) Even though I love bashing engineers for never having to work on their creations, I can’t fault them when they do turn out something right. This torsion bar suspension allows for easy replacement of the front shocks without needing a mass disassembly of the front suspension.

4) This job can be done with only a few tools: a 16mm wrench, a 13mm wrench, a 10mm wrench, needle nose vice grips, a ratchet, a 13mm socket and extension, a 14mm socket, and a 15mm socket.

4a) The new shocks come with new mounting hardware seen here.

5) Step one. Cut a hole in the box. Ope, wait a minute, wrong video. Just forget that last sentence.

6) Step one. Jack up the front of the truck. Man, I wish I had a lift.

7) Step two. Remove the wheel. This is optional, but makes filming your work easier.

8) Step three. Remove the top 15mm nut on the shock shaft. WD-40 or rust penetrant can be used, but since these shocks are being replaced, I am not worried about breaking the shaft. A pair or vice grips or a thin wrench should be used to keep the shaft from spinning.

9) Step four. Remove the bottom two bolts of the shock. They should be a 10mm or 13mm head and a 13mm nut.

10) Step five. Compress the shock to remove it from the frame. The excessive loss of fluid should make this an easy task.

11) This is why these shocks needed to be replaced: there is no rebound left in the old shocks, meaning there is no damping force to counteract the suspension. A new shock should resist compression and return to its original state.

12) Step six. Slide the new shock into the frame. Make sure to have the bottom tab oriented as to sit properly on the control arm. On these, the angle slopes down and away from the vehicle.

13) Step 7. Reinstall the lower bolts. These should 13mm for the bolt and the nut.

14) Step 8. Before installing the top shaft put the rubber grommets in place. The rubber grommets should sandwich the frame with the washers on the outside. The top nut for this shock is a 14mm instead of the 15mm that was on the old shock.

15) Copy and paste onto the other side, just don’t let the teacher catch you cheating!

*Second video for rear?* - *Edit as separate, can combine if needed*

16) Now let’s move on to the rear.

17) I’m replacing the rear shocks with Gabriel Hijackers Air Shocks. These are advertised for helping level a vehicle with heavy loads. Do keep in mind that these do not increase the load capacity of the vehicle. They should be a nice addition to help the old high mileage leaf springs currently on the Sport Trac. Since these shocks are adjustable, measure the ride height before starting work. This gives a way to set the correct pressure when all the work is finished.

18) There’s a few more tools needed than the front shocks. A couple ratchets and sockets, a pick, some wrenches, a vice grips, side cutters, a hammer, an impact, and some zip-ties.

19) Before diving in, remove the spare tire. It’ll free up plenty of room for working. The owner’s manual does a good job of showing the proper way to lower and remove it.

20) Step 1. Jack up the rear of the truck. Always remember, safety first! I’m putting these jack stands in place to protect my pretty face.

21) Step 2. Remove the lower bolt for the shock to the spring mount. A hammer may be needed for a gentle nudge in the right direction.

22) Step 3. Remove the two upper bolts that hold the shock to the frame. I believe these were 13mm nuts on the topside of the frame. I did have to use the vice grips to hold the bolts in place.

23) Step 4. Put the bottom of the new air shock in place and feed the bolt through. Wait to put the nut back on until the top bolts are in place.

24) Step 5. To make it easier to put the top bolts in, used compressed air to extend the air shock. Be careful to not over-inflate the shock, as it could cause irreparable damage.

25) Step 6. Install the new top bolts.

26) Step 7. Install the nut for the lower bolt.

27) Snap your fingers to duplicate this replacement on the other side.

28) Now it’s time to run the supplied air hose to the shocks. I decided to mount the valve through the rear bumper and license plate for maximum stealth. I then used the supplied clips and zip ties to attach the air hoses to the frame and the shocks. Make sure there are no points were the hose can rub and puncture, and have enough slack for any repair that may be needed.

29) These particular shocks require a minimum of 25 psi and a maximum of 200 psi. With no added weight in the bed, 25psi will give about stock ride height. 200 psi gives 2-3 inches of lift.

30) And as always, take the dog on a test drive because you just spent all day ignoring them. Rooster out!

1) This is going to be another short and sweet how-to project. From the factory, the Mustang came with these amber front turn signal assemblies. While they function perfectly fine, they stand out too much against the black paint.

2) It’s time to fix this eyesore once and for all. These new turn signal assemblies came from AmericanMuscle.com. The amber is now down to a minimum, with most of the assembly having a black color. This will blend in well to the front of the Mustang.

3) This is a simple job and only requires one tool – a needle nose pliers. The rest can be done by hand.

4) Start by raising the front of the Mustang so crawling underneath is easier. This can be done with jack stands or ramps like I am using.

5) Squeeze underneath the front to access the rear of the turn signals. Starting with the driver side, remove the two bulbs from the old housing and tuck them up out of the way.

6) Use the needle nose pliers to compress the two tabs on the side of the assembly.

7) Now the assembly should pop off of the tabs. Work the assembly out from the bumper.

8) Here’s a side by side of the old assembly and the new assembly. Yeah, these new ones are so much better!

9) There is a tab on the new assembly that needs to slide into the bumper. The bumper slot may need to be worked to allow the turn signal to slip in.

10) Work the new assembly up and pop it onto the tabs. Now the assembly is securely mounted in place.

11) Since these new assemblies have clear lenses, the old bulbs need to be replaced with amber ones. These new assemblies did come with amber bulbs. Although I did not find them until after I had ordered separate amber bulbs. I really need to do better at unboxing things…

12) The new assembly has the bulbs spaced closer to each other than the old assemblies. Because of this, I had to install the large bulb first, then the peanut bulb, then the connector for the peanut bulb.

13) With the driver side done, we can now move onto the passenger side. The process is the same, except there is a giant washer fluid reservoir in the way. There’s always something to make things difficult…

14) Just look at that new turn signal installed. Oh yeah, that’s such a better look. This is Rooster, and this signal is fading out.

1) There are four things that are needed to make an engine go. Suck, Squish, Bang, Blow. When the piston moves downward, it creates a vacuum to suck in air and fuel. When the piston returns to top dead center, it squishes the air and fuel inside. The spark plug then sparks, igniting the mixture, propelling the piston downward. Finally, when the piston moves back up again, it expels all the exhaust. Then the process starts all over again, and again, and again, and again….

2) Today we are focusing on the Bang. That’s right, Dora is getting some new spark plugs. And some spark plug wires. And an ignition coil. Pretty much everything in the ignition circuit is being replaced.

3) Buy why? For starters, the spark plugs currently in Dora are worn out. Over time, the spark point on the spark plug degrades, causing poorer performance. Basically spark plugs destroy themselves over time. Sounds kind of famil—

4) New spark plugs will just make things run better. The spark plug wires are being replaced because they are old and worn. The resistance of the wires has been affected which in turn affects the spark plugs. Since every wire is different in length, the resistance will be different for each wire.

5) Finally, the ignition coil is showing symptoms of being cracked. What I mean by that is when the moisture content in the air is high, the engine misfires until the ambient air around the engine is warm enough to dry out the moisture. So let’s get down to business.

6) There are a few tools you will need: a 5/8 inch spark plug socket, extensions, 3/8 ratchet, ¼ ratchet, 7mm and 8mm sockets, a flathead screwdriver, and a trim removal tool. Optional is a hose pliers to help remove the spark plug wires.

7) Start by removing the spark plug wires from the ignition coil. It is good practice to take a picture or make a drawing of which wire goes where. Otherwise the engine will not run properly afterwards.

8) Next, remove the ignition coil. There are 2 nuts on the passenger side and 2 bolts on the driver side to remove. On the furthest forward bolt, there is a RF Dongle held in by the bolt. Set it off to the side and don’t forget to remount it.

9) Install the new ignition coil. A little dab of dielectric grease on the wire connections never hurt anything.

10) Next, remove the lower inner fender liners. This gives much better access to the spark plugs. Pull the spark plug wire off of the plug. Use the spark plug socket to remove the spark plug from the engine block.

11) The two ways I use to set correct spark plug gap is with a spark plug gap disk and feeler gauges. Be sure to set the correct spark plug gap before installing the spark plugs. For this engine, the spark plug gap is 0.054 inches. If the gap needs to be shortened, firmly tap the spark plug electrode onto the worktable. To increase the gap, pull back on the electrode.

12) Install the new spark plug by hand before using the wrench and torque to 168 inch pounds. Over-torquing can cause the threads to rip out. Which is bad. And a whole new hurdle to overcome.

13) Spark plug wires can vary widely from car to car and even engine to engine. Some may be pre-numbered, others may all be the same length. For Dora, the old wires were all numbered. The new wires I bought are not. Match the new wire lengths to the old lengths as best as possible.

14) Take the new spark plug wire, again using a slight amount of dielectric grease. Install it to the new spark plug, making sure to feel the “pop” to know it is secure.

15) Then run the new wire to the ignition coil. Use the reference picture or drawing from earlier to install it in the correct place.

16) Repeat this for the other five spark plugs and wires.

17) Reinstall the lower inner fender liners.

18) Start the engine. If it runs well, good job! If not, then double check all your wire placements and connections. Take a test drive to ensure everything is working properly.

19) One last thing: I’m going to take two of the best longest old spark plug wires and throw them in my travel tool box as spares. This is Rooster, zap ya later!

1) Alright, this may seem a little weird. But hear me out, everything will be ok. There’s quite a big movement happening out in the world called #VanLife. It seems to grow exponentially each year. And if I’m being honest, I’ve thought about it too.

2) There have been multiple offshoots, such as #BusLife and #TruckLife. Both also sound interesting, but there’s a big catch that has prevented me from joining in the hype. Until Now.

3) What’s the catch, you ask? I am too attached to Dora. And the Mustang. And the dog just really loves the Waaagon. Just too much attachment to get rid of any of them. Because of this I do not have enough room for a fourth vehicle at this moment.

4) Yes, the Waaagon does have enough room to sleep for a few nights. I did this for my Roadkill Zip Tie Drags trip back in January (Link in description and card). But I do not see the Waaagon as full-time capable. I want a little more room for that.

5) So now we turn to Dora, my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The biggest hurdle to overcome here is the four-foot bed. I am a bit taller than four feet. I could build an elaborate sliding extension like “Off-road Adventures”. I am staying away from that idea for now because I want the bed to be more functional, and not used solely for sleeping. I also want to be able get in and sleep, and not have to rearrange equipment every night.

6) Let’s recap my wants: More room than the Waaagon, no sliding extension, a functional bed. (NU)

7) How do we accomplish this? I’ll tell you. All we need is some plywood and a couple 2x4’s.

8) Look here, I just so happen to have a sheet of plywood that is the exact dimension of the interior bed. Funny how that works!

9) I cut the 2x4’s into four and six – inch pieces, and then put them together in the wheel arches of the bed. Then I made a final one that sits on the back of the tie down point on the bed.

10) These double-stacked 2x4s give enough clearance for the bed drawer and other miscellaneous items that will be stored underneath.

11) Down the center, I put a length of plywood that runs the length of the side of the bed drawer. This gives the center of the platform all the support it needs.

12) This design allows me to slide the bed drawer I had made in a previous video out from underneath to access the top doors of the drawer and allows the platform to be lifted separately up from the bed.

13) I’ll eventually add some carpet to the top of the platform for a bit more comfort and better looks.

14) At this point, you may be asking yourself, “That’s still only a four-foot platform, how are you going to sleep?”

15) Let me show you!

16) Alright, it is a bit cramped in here for me. It would work great in a survival situation, but that’s about it. If I were 6 inches shorter, it would be perfect.

17) So where else could I sleep in Dora? Just like in the bed, I am too tall for laying across the rear seats.

18) I then had a brilliant idea. What if my passenger front seat could fold flat? Then I could lay on top, with room to spare!

19) Unfortunately, I could not find a bracket with this feature for a Sport Trac. Therefore, I had to make my own. Now I won’t show you exactly what I did, since this can compromise the safety of the seat and anyone sitting in it. But basically, I modified the existing bracket to move further than designed.

20) Now I can build a micro platform to even things out. With this option, I Now have direct access to heating/cooling controls, and can jump in the driver’s seat and make a speedy getaway.

21) Finally, there is even enough room for two here. Depending on how much you like the other person.

22) This is Rooster, saying it’s time for camping! WooHoo!

1) After literally years of searching and a failed attempt at building my own, I finally found a bed topper for my Sport Trac. And it was in my area! The reason toppers are hard to find for the Sport Trac is because the bed is not a standard size. It is only 50 inches long – just a hair over four feet! No other truck has a bed this small. And since the Sport Trac came with an OEM hard cover, there was never a large market for bed toppers to be made.

2) I did investigate the possibility of having a brand new one built, but it would have cost a few grand. Needless to say, I was not going to drop that kind of money. I was able to get this one for a few hundred bucks.

3) This topper is in very good condition. There are a few spots on the roof where the clear coat is peeling, but I’m not worried since it is a fiberglass construction. Both side windows function properly. The front cab facing window also slides but is missing the latch. I did have to fabricate new mounting brackets; I may make better ones in the future to better suit the bed. Yes, I could have simply bought brackets, but where is the fun in that?

4) The rear glass has two T-Handles. They are lockable, but there was no key when I bought it. I did some price shopping and found that getting replacement keys made cost nearly the same as replacing both T-Handles. So that’s what we’re going to do.

5) These are known as blind mounts, meaning no bolts or screws are visible from the outside.

6) Replacing the handles is simple. Start by removing the lever from the shaft of the T-Handle – this is what keeps the glass firmly shut.

7) Then remove the old T-Handle bolts. I did have to drill one bolt since the head stripped out.

8) Once both bolts are removed, the T-Handle should fall right out.

9) Install the new T-Handle in reverse. Short and simple.

10) Verify both handles work as well as lock and unlock. That’s it!

11) Maybe one of these videos will be about something else other than my Sport Trac. One can dream!

1) The Waaagon has black cluster gauges. The Mustang has black cluster gauges. Dora has – white gauges. I have never liked the white gauges. So now I am finally doing something about it.

2) I have black cluster gauges from a scrapped Ford Ranger. When Ford created the Sport Trac, they rummaged around the scrap parts bin and used the same dash as the Ranger.

3) Now for the tools needed: a ¼ inch ratchet, a 7 and 8mm socket, a 5.5m socket, an extension, a socket driver, a Phillips screwdriver, a Flathead screwdriver, and a trim removal tool. Optional is an electric bit driver if you despise manual labor, like me.

4) Start by removing the lower kick panel plastic. There are four 7mm bolts to remove and four clips to pop out.

5) Remove the five 8mm bolts that hold the metal secondary kick panel in place.

6) Next, remove the radio bezel. The dash trim has two clips hidden behind the bezel.

7) Lower the steering wheel as far as it will go. This gives us clearance to work.

8) Remove the three bolts at the top of the dash trim panel and the two bolts at the bottom that were hidden behind the metal kick panel.

9) Pull firmly on the dash trim panel to detach the clips.

10) Work the panel off the steering column. The final step for removing the dash trim panel is to disconnect the electrical connectors for the light switches.

11) The next steps can be done with the instrument cluster still installed, but I am going to remove it for easier filming.

a. Removing the steering column trim is not required. When it is removed there is more room to pull the cluster from the dash.

12) Disconnect the gear selector wire from the shift lever. Remove the 5.5mm bolt that holds the wire sheathing to the column. There are four 7mm bolts holding the instrument cluster into the dash. Pull the cluster free and disconnect the electrical connector(s) at the back. Feed the gear selector wire up and out though the dash.

13) Now for the fun stuff. Remove the seven 5.5mm bolts that hold the cluster cover in place. Now would be a good time to clean the inside of this cover if it is quite dusty like this one.

14) Here comes the careful bit. Gently pry off the gauge dials from the cluster face. I found that using a trim removal tool helps greatly. Remember where each one goes and what position they were installed. Otherwise the gauges will be off when reassembled. I highly recommend doing this with a full tank of gas and the engine at the normal operating temperature. Do as I say, not as I do.

15) The old gauge faces are plastic welded to the cluster. (a) Pull firmly to break the weld without damaging the gauges.) I used double sided tape to hold the new gauge faces in place, using the alignment holes to get everything lined up.

16) Before reinstalling the cluster cover, plug the cluster back in to the connectors and verify all the gauges function properly. If any gauge is off, reinstall the dials. These dials reset to “zero” when power is lost, but they are infinitely variable and can be out of adjustment slightly.

17) Once every gauge is functioning properly, reinstall the cluster cover. Don’t over tighten the bolts, otherwise the old plastic will break.

18) Reinstall the cluster into the dash, then reinstall everything else in reverse order of removal. A test drive isn’t necessary, but a car guy takes every opportunity to drive.

19) This is Rooster, and I have gauged this video to be over.

1) 2001. The year we were supposed shine our light across the stars, to learn the truth of the monoliths. To seek out new life, and new civilizations. Instead, we built Sport Trac headlight assemblies that shine light a total of ten feet and at the power of one candle a piece.

2) It’s time for change. But throwing in new LED bulbs or HID assemblies is boring and hated by other drivers. The correct answer is to add more lights on the front of the Sport Trac. The math is simple; more lights equal more fun.

3) As some of you astute viewers may have noticed, the Sport Trac already has a LED light bar mounted to the roof. While this is a fun and sometimes obnoxious thing, it’s not suited for or technically legal to use on public roads.

4) The solution is these two driving lights I’m planning to mount to the front bull bar. The final look will be decent very functional. I’ll be able to see further down the road while not blinding oncoming traffic.

5) I do have to admit that I am not the best at estimating size when ordering online. Apparently, I think six inches is relatively small. Putting two of these lights on the bull bar will be a tight fit.

6) Installing these lights is very simple, and not really worth a how-to video on their own. The real magic is modifying the light wiring harness to work with a factory switch on the radio bezel.

7) The switch I’m using is one of the factory fog light buttons. The old radio bezel in the Sport Trac only had room for one fog light switch. I found this bezel with two holes in a scrapped Explorer Sport, where the second hole was used for the rear defroster switch. Since my Sport Trac does not have a rear defroster, a second fog light switch fills the hole nicely. Currently I have the top fog light switch wired to the light bar.

8) These fog light switches have an indicator light built into them for when they are activated. To get that same feature working for the new driving lights, we need to look at the wiring diagram.

9) I’ve taken the liberty to blow up the wiring diagram for ease of viewing. The light wiring harness I am using is set up for controlling the power coming into the relay control circuit. The Ford Factory fog light switches are set up a bit different, as they are designed to control the grounding of the relay of the control circuit. All we need to do is a little wire switch-a-roo.

10) There are four wires that go into the factory switch. The light blue/black stripe wire is for the relay control circuit ground. The black wire is for the vehicle ground. The black/red stripe is for back-lighting the switch (in this case, some fog light switches are not back-lit, so this wire can be left loose). The tan/orange stripe wire is the 12 volt power coming from the load side of the relay, which in turn activates the LED in the switch is turned on.

11) Here’s how it will all work: When the switch is closed, it completes the ground circuit for the control side of the relay. This energizes a coil inside the relay, and closes the load side of the relay. When the load side closes, the lights turn on. Power is then sent back along the switch LED light wire which then grounds through the switch and activates the LED indicator.

12) There are a few tools you will need: a bit driver for maximum screw removal speed, a ratchet and socket for the grounding point, side cutters, needle nose pliers, Phillips head screwdriver, wire strippers, your preferred crimpers, a lighter or heat gun, and a Multimeter.

13) Start by cutting the switch wires from the relay. Please note, if the wires are cut by the relay, two separate wires will need to be run into the cabin. I plan on using this switch and wiring for another project, so I will be running length of speaker wire into the cabin in its place.

14) Next, cut the large ground wires off of the relay. This will separate the load side and give us our ground control of the relay. Take these two ground wires and butt connector them together, giving the lights a direct ground to the chassis. Find a solid bolt to attach the ground terminal to. The remaining ground wire in the relay is sent inside the cabin to the fog light switch.

15) Butt connector the red and yellow wires near the relay (or in the cabin if you ran the stock switch wiring). This gives power to our relay control circuit.

16) The final wiring step for the relay is to attach our switch LED light to the load side of the relay. Because this part is going in the engine bay, I would not recommend using the “easy splices” found at the auto parts stores. These are known to cut the wires and have no protection from the elements. Use a waterproof butt connector or heat shrink to protect the connection.

17) Run the load wires to wherever the lights are mounted and wire them up.

18) Run the control wires into the cabin through any grommet on the firewall, and zip tie them up out of the way, preferably onto another wiring harness.

19) Take the two 7mm screws out of the bottom side of the radio bezel. Gently pull the bezel out of the dash. There are two Philips head screws that hold the switches into the bezel.

20) For ease, I am going to splice my new switch ground and back-light into the existing switch for the light bar, and clean up some of my wiring in the process.

21) Feed the control wires up and out the bezel hole in the dash, and butt connector them to the new switch. Make sure the correct control wire is going to the correct switch wire.

22) Once all the wiring is hooked up, it is a good idea to check to see if everything works.

23) Finally, find a good place to tuck the wiring away from danger.

24) Now you can go out and enjoy the night with a clean factory dash, impressing your friends with your wiring skills. Have Fun! Rooster out!

1) Storage is great. Organization is great. Drawers that slide like butter are great. Things loose in the bed of my Sport Trac are not great. (Clip of stuff flying around in bed). And because of Corona Virus, I have plenty of time on my hands for a project.

2) Over year ago, I threw together these bed slides for the Sport Trac. They sit between the ridges and allow me to get things that are at the back, without having to climb into the bed.

3) While this works, it can be better. I want a place to securely mount my High Lift Jack and other recovery gear. So, I’m going to build a sliding drawer thing on top of these bed slides. Peeping Toms won’t be able to see by precious jewels when I’m done. This is not going to be a how-to video, as I have never built something like this before.

4) Here’s what I was thinking: (Show crude hand drawing). The High Lift Jack, shovel, and axe are going to sit on slide platforms, with the High Lift Jack able to move independently of the others. I’ll then build a top cover that will give a nice, flat place for storage above everything.

5) Is it cheating to use parts from a previous failed project? (Clip of scavenging the slides from the aluminum topper)

6) I trimmed down panels so both could fit on the bed slider. I left about ¼ inch space on either side and between the two sliders.

7) Now the tricky part – getting the slide backings properly screwed in place. I extended the slides fully and put one screw in each. Then I removed the panel and screwed the rest of the slides in place, using a tape measure to keep things even.

8) The screw tips had to be ground flat to prevent them from scratching the bed of the Sport Trac. A Dremel tool turned out to be ineffective, so I broke out the big boy.

9) Now that both slides are in place and working flawlessly, it’s time to tackle the top cover. Any ideas? Anyone? Buller? Buller?

10) Using some spare wood, I threw together the top cover. This cover can hold a decent amount of weight, but it will need more reinforcement if, say, a body was laying on top.

11) The top cover was made to be a tight fit, but it turned out to be too tight. The end that is closest to the tailgate had to be repositioned to clear the Hi-Lift Jack foot. In doing so, I split the end of the cross piece and had to glue it back together. The side supports also had to be trimmed to clear the Hi-Lift Jack handle retainer.

12) The top cover is permanently attached to the bed slide. For the side panels, I think I’ll reuse the HDPE panels from the failed topper build. The cross braces will give added support for three top panels that open, allowing access to the items inside without opening the tailgate. The gaps around the corners closest to the tailgate were intentional – they allow for a solid grip when removing the entire assembly from the bed.

13) The top panels are secured via hinges and rivets, and latch in place with Velcro.

14) With everything finally mounted and installed, the slides function perfectly. The open space by the wheel well easily accommodates 2 11” ammo cans. Currently the knockoff Max Trax boards are strapped to the side of the bed. I’ll build a better mount in the future.

15) For the final touch, grab handles were made from scrap RCA cables.

1) So, I was driving along, minding my own business. Just enjoying my donuts. Man, it was good. Bavarian cream filled long johns are the best. When out of the blue, I heard a loud clacking noise from underneath the Sport Trac.

2) I rolled my window down and the noise was louder. It sounded like a CV axle in the driver front axle shaft was failing. I put the Sport Trac into four-wheel drive and the clacking increased.

3) Bummed out, I headed home and pulled the Sport Trac into the garage.

4) I crawled underneath the front end to look at the front axle shafts. None of the CV boots looked damaged or torn. Neither front shaft had excessive play.

5) Moved rearward towards the transfer case. I looked at the front driveshaft CV joint and saw the boot torn. And wouldn’t you know it, there was excessive play in the joint. Since the Sport Tracs have an Independent Front Suspension, the front driveshaft should have next to no play at all.

6) There are two options at this point: replace the entire driveshaft or rebuild the CV Joint. I’m a cheapie, so I chose to rebuild the CV Joint. Plus, it will make for a more entertaining video.

7) There are a few tools needed for this job: a ¼ inch ratchet, a 6mm deep socket, a T30 Torx bit, a 4mm? hex bit with extension, something for marking, a pocket screwdriver, a Flathead screwdriver, pliers, snap ring pliers, diagonal cutters, a brass hammer, a knife, an impact with a 10mm socket, and a pry bar.

8) First step as always is raise the Sport Trac up. This can be done with jack stands or ramps as I am using here.

9) Next, remove the skid plate that protects the transfer case. This gives us better access to the CV Joint bolts.

10) Mark the driveshaft and the U-Joint caps before removing the bolts. Incorrect U-Joint orientation on install can lead to vibrations at speed and premature failure.

11) Use the ¼ inch ratchet and the T30 torx bit to remove the U-Joint bolts and straps.

12) Use the 6mm deep socket to remove the bolts for the CV Joint at the Transfer case.

13) Keep track of the straps from the CV Joint. You’ll need these for later.

14) The driveshaft needs to be compressed to remove it from the Sport Trac. Since this is a solid front driveshaft all our compression has to come from the CV Joint on the transfer case. Because this CV Joint is old and stiff, a pry bar is useful in persuading the joint to budge. Pry on the center of the U-Joint. Be wary of the U-Joint caps when prying.

15) Once the U-Joint has cleared the front differential the driveshaft will fall out.

16) At this point it is a good idea to tape the caps of the U-Joint in place. If these caps come off the needle bearings inside can go everywhere. I thought I would get a cool Point of View shot while taping the caps but the camera was not angled properly. And I didn’t look at the footage until it was time to edit. (*Insert clip of failing to film taping U-Joint?*)

17) The rebuild kit I got comes with all the parts seen here. There’s a replacement boot and clamp, a replacement cap and gasket, new CV Joint bolts, a tube of grease, a new snap ring, and a complete CV Joint.

18) Put the driveshaft in a vise with the CV Joint facing up.

19) Use a screwdriver to pry the old cap off the joint. Oh wow, I was not expecting that much rust and gunked grease to be inside!

20) There is barely any movement out of this joint, and what movement there is requires a lot of force.

21) Even with all this rust, it sees mostly superficial. A quick tap of the brass hammer and the snap ring rust breaks loose. Use the snap ring pliers to open the snap ring. Use the Flathead screwdriver to work the ring over the shaft. It’s a good idea to keep a finger on the snap ring to keep it from flying off into oblivion.

22) A quick spray of WD-40 will help the joint slide off the splines.

23) Use the Flathead screwdriver and hammer to work the boot cap off the joint.

24) Then pry open the boot clamp and cut it off with the diagonal cutters.

25) Use the knife to cut off the remaining boot.

26) Use the brass hammer to pound off the old joint from the splines. A brass hammer is highly suggested because it will not cause damage to the steel splines or joint. If only the boot was being replaced the joint would need to be undamaged.

27) I believe the reason this joint failed is simple. At some point in the past, the rubber boot tore around the shaft. This exposed the joint to the elements. Living in Nebraska, that means salt in the winter. Combine that with my trip to Tuttle Creek last April (*insert clip of driving through river*), it was only a matter of time before rust won the battle.

28) Use a rag or towel to clean any gunk left on the shaft and splines. A wire brush can be used to get in between the splines if needed. This is also a good time to inspect the splines and shaft for damage.

29) Time for some new parts. Start with the CV boot. Put the clamp on first – it is very hard to put the clamp on after the boot.

30) As you can see, the boot does not want to fit on the shaft easily. Grab your handy pocket screwdriver and put it through the boot. Use the screwdriver to work the boot over the shaft. Once the boot takes, pull out the screwdriver. Work the boot down until the edge sits in the groove.

31) Then put the clamp over the boot edge and tighten it down. Pliers make gripping the clamp a breeze.

32) Loop and fold the end of the clamp. A few taps with a hammer keeps things in place.

33) Finally, collapse the boot down on itself.

34) Before installing the new CV Joint to the splines, make sure the grooved face is facing up and the smooth face is facing down towards the boot. The grooved face if for the cap to sit properly.

35) One more thing before installing the joint: make things messy. Use the supplied grease to fill the grooves where the ball bearings sit. This is important as no grease will cause the joint to heat up and destroy itself. Then we would be back to doing this all again.

36) Cram as much as the grease as possible in the joint. The rest of the grease can go in the boot and the cap.

37) Use a bolt to line up the new CV joint to the boot. Line the splines up and slide the joint on. If the joint does not go on easy, make sure the splines are clean and lined up.

38) Install the new snap ring. If the groove is not visible, use the brass hammer to gently seat the CV joint down below the groove.

39) Install the cap gasket and the cap, lining the divots up with the holes.

40) The new joint should have ease of movement with no extra play.

41) Slide the driveshaft back in the Sport Trac, CV joint first.

42) Line up the CV Joint holes to the transfer case and reinstall the bolts. Make sure to include the bolt straps.

43) Line the U-Joint back with the marks made earlier. Install the U-Joint caps and bolts.

44) Finally, reinstall the skid plate.

45) Take a victory lap test drive to make sure the noise is no longer present.

46) Upon first viewing of the test drive footage, I was worried something wasn’t installed correctly. The CV Joint was moving laterally, like it wasn’t seated in the transfer case firmly. I looked closer at the footage and saw that the lateral movement only happened when the entire engine/transmission assembly moved.

47) Now it makes more sense for the Sport Trac to have a CV Joint instead of a U Joint. Two U joints would require a slip joint in the driveshaft itself. A CV Joint allows for a solid driveshaft and takes up the movement in the joint itself.

1) The Sport Trac’s Check Engine Light came on the other day, and sometimes the engine runs rough. This video will go through the diagnostic process I took to resolve this issue.

2) The first step in the diagnostic process is to verify the concern. Yep. Light is lit up. Sarcasm aside, we need to check the fault code(s) present. I am using the OBDLinkMX+ scan tool. This can read and clear fault codes stored in the Engine Control Module. It can also display freeze-frame data and live data. This Bluetooth scan tool works with Windows, Android and iOS. I found this on Amazon for under $100. For the number of vehicles I work on, this was a good investment. Another option would be to take it to O’Reilley’s or Advance Auto and have them scan the vehicle for free.

3) The fault code(s) stored is P0102. This comes up as “Mass or Volume Air Flow Circuit Low Input”. This means the Mass Airflow Sensor is reading a lower voltage than the minimum specification at idle or any rpm.

4) One of the many features of the OBDLink is the ability to look at the “PID values”, also known as “measured values” or live data.” Selected are the Engine RPM, the Mass Airflow rate, and the Absolute Throttle Position.” With the engine running, the absolute throttle position DOES increase when the accelerator pedal is pressed. The mass airflow is staying at zero, no matter the throttle position. This directs us to look at the Mass Airflow Sensor.

5) Perform a visual inspection of the Mass Airflow Senor and related wiring. If any damage to the sensor, replace the sensor. If wire damage is present, repair the wires and retest.

6) Grab a multimeter and disconnect the Mass Airflow Sensor connector. Turn the ignition on and verify power and ground at the connector. The pins to check should be 2 and 3. Pin 2 (power) should show more than 10 volts. Pin 3 (ground) should show 0 volts. If good power and ground, reconnect the connector. The last thing to check before replacing the Mass Airflow Sensor is the actual signal from the sensor to the Engine Control Module.

7) Ideally a special in-line jumper harness would be used to check the signal, but they are not common and have a highly specific use case. An alternative option is to “back probe” the connector with a multimeter. This is frowned upon due to the wire sheathing being punctured, which exposes the wire to the elements increasing the risk of corrosion. If back probing, make sure to reseal the wires with liquid electrical tape after repairs are performed.

8) Reconnect the Mass Airflow Sensor connector. Back probe pin 5 to ground with the multimeter and start the engine. At idle, the voltage should read between 0.5 and 0.7 volts. Increase the engine rpm and the voltage should increase, anywhere from 1.5 to 3 volts. If no voltage OR no change in voltage is present, the Mass Airflow Sensor is not sending a signal to the ECM.

9) After removing the faulty Mass Airflow Sensor, check to see if any of the hot wires inside the sensor are damaged and/or broken. These wires change temperature as airflow moves across them. This temperature is turned into a voltage which is then read by the ECM. If there is a broken wire, then the ECM does not receive the signal.

10) Replace the Mass Airflow Sensor. Back probe the connector with the new Mass Airflow Sensor to verify a proper signal is being sent.

11) After successfully repairing/replacing the Mass Airflow Sensor, clear the fault code and perform a test drive. Make sure to cycle the key at least twice during the test drive to check for a returning Check Engine Light.

1) *Sigh* Yup. I broke another one. Come along as I replace yet another plastic door handle on Dora.

2) I’m going to need an impact with a 7- or 8-millimeter socket, a 90-degree pick, a Flathead screwdriver, two 10-millimeter wrenches, and a trim removal wedge.

3) Before removing the screws there is a small panel that needs to come off to allow the inside handle to pass through the door panel.

4) Then remove the two upper panel screws located behind the grab handle and the single screw at the bottom of the panel. The front door has two screws at the bottom of the panel.

5) Take the trim removal wedge and work it between the panel and the door. Twisting and prying with the wedge releases the push-tabs that hold the panel in place. Once it is loose hands can be used to loosen the rest of the panel.

6) Slide the panel up and over the lock shaft and out of the window groove.

7) Also, it’s a good idea to remove the window switch assembly from the panel before removing the panel from the door. I forgot to do this and now I’m awkwardly trying to hold the panel up to remove the switch. Must be performance anxiety.

8) Peel back the inner door panel cover. Mine has a bunch of tape holding it in place since I have been in here a few times.

9) Disconnecting the handle from the latch mechanism is simple, but hard to reach. I use a 90-degree pick to pry the yellow lock tab open. Then pull the shaft from the latch mechanism.

10) The original factory handles are held in by rivets. Rivets must be drilled out and make a mess. I opted instead to use bolts and nuts to hold the handles in place. Simpler and obviously makes future replacements easier.

11) It’s a good idea to have the bolt heads on the exterior. Otherwise the bolt shafts would interfere with the handle operation. And I don’t want to jam my fingers into bolts every time I want to open the door. (moved to after 15)

12) A screwdriver quickly pops the handle loose from the door. Then it is a game of wiggles to remove the rest of the broken handle.

13) It’s easier to install the shaft to the new handle before installing into the door. These door handles can be used on all four doors of the Sport Trac. Make sure the shaft is on the correct end of the handle for the door you are working on.

14) Slide the shaft in and angle the door handle to put the top in first, then the handle should pop in and hold itself in place.

15) Reinstall the bolts and snug them down.

16) A good wiggle check never hurts.

17) Pop the shaft back into the locking mechanism. Do not close the yellow lock tab yet, as the handle throw still needs to be adjusted.

18) Adjustment is simple. Close and reopen the door. If the door does not open, the shaft is not positioned high enough for the throw of the handle. Reposition the shaft in the latch mechanism and retest. Once the door opens with ease, close the yellow locking tab.

19) Begin reinstalling the door panel. Make sure to put the lock shaft through the panel first. Feed the wiring for the window switch through the hole. Slip the panel into the window groove. Line up the push tabs with the holes in the door.

20) Gently massage the door panel into place.

21) Reinstall the window switch assembly.

22) Finally, reinstall the door panel screws.

23) And don’t forget the inside handle panel.

24) Give it a few good test opens. To help prolong the life of the handle, it is best to pull toward the side nearest to the latch. This minimizes flex in the handle which could lead to breaking. Ask me how I know.

1) After replacing front suspension and steering components, it is a good idea to have an alignment performed. Some shops charge upwards of 100 dollars or more for a simple front-end alignment. But there is no need to fear. Alignments can be done at home for next to nothing.

2) To be clear, doing an alignment at home will not guarantee accurate results like a purpose-built alignment machine at a shop. A home alignment is more for getting close to accurate and will allow for normal operation of the vehicle. Tire wear can be increased if not using a purpose-built machine but will be greatly reduced compared to not performing an alignment at all.

3) There are three points of adjustment when performing an alignment: Camber, Caster, and Toe. Camber is the angle of how far the tire leans into or out of the wheel well perpendicular to the vehicle. Caster is the angle of forward and backward lean in the wheel well parallel to the vehicle. Toe is the angle of offset to the direction of travel, measured between each tire on the axle and to the vehicle center line.

4) This video will focus on the front Toe adjustment, since Toe has the greatest effect on the steering of the vehicle.

5) There are only a few things needed to perform a Toe Alignment at home: Two tape measures (preferably of the same make/model), the correct wrenches to adjust the tie rods, two pieces of straight material that each span greater than the tire, and something to hold those pieces of straight material in place.

6) The first step is to ensure the vehicle is on a level surface. Pull the vehicle in with the steering wheel as straight as possible. Depending on the vehicle, you may need to put the front wheels on to ramps. We need the weight of the vehicle on the wheels with the suspension compressed to do an accurate alignment.

7) Next, attach the two pieces of material to the front wheels. Try to get them as level as possible with the ground and parallel with the wheel. Since my metal angle has holes, I used bungee cords around the back of the wheel to hold them in place.

8) Now is the time for the tape measures. Keep the tape measures on one side of the vehicle, straddling the tire and measuring across to the other tire. A piece of tape may help keep the end of the tape measure from falling off the material. Keep them perpendicular to your straight material.

9) The two measurements now being shown tell how perpendicular the front tires are to one another. If the front measurement is less than the rear measurement, the tires are pointing in towards each other and vice versa. Most vehicles have the front toe nearly perpendicular, with a slight bias to toe-in to account for weight transfer under acceleration.

10) This is where the wrenches now get used. Whatever the measurements are, subtract the two. Then take the difference and divide it by two. This is the number to adjust each side by. Example: if the front reads 67 inches and the rear reads 70 inches, the difference is 3 inches. Half of 3 inches is 1.5 inches. Loosen the lock nuts and rotate the inner tie rod while watching the tape measures until the number from earlier is reached. Then re-tighten the lock nuts. It would be a good idea to factor in 1/8 to 1/4 inch of forward toe-in total when both tires are perpendicular.

11) Now for the test drive. There are a couple things that may happen:

• If the vehicle drives straight without driver input but the steering wheel is off center, the front wheels are perpendicular to each other but not to the steering wheel. This is an easy fix but may take a few test drives. Adjust both tie rods in the same direction (usually the opposite way of where the steering wheel is pointing) a few turns and retest. If the steering wheel is closer to center, continue to adjust in the same direction until the steering wheel is center.

• If the steering wheel is straight but the vehicle pulls one direction, recheck the measurements. Also look for possible damaged or bent components.

1) Four nights, in a Volkswagen?! Who would do that?! (Eyes look around) I would!

2) I just got back from spending four nights in this Waaagon for the Roadkill Zip Tie Drags. I’m going to show you what I did to sleep in it and just how it was all around there.

3) So, the first thing I did was to remove the bench seats here. So, I removed the top backrest and the bottom benches here. And then, I built this plywood platform that takes pretty much the shape of the back of those original seats and supported on this little ledge here and on the other side. And it’s bolted back here so it stays nice and secure. And it’s pretty strong. I did this, not only does it save a bunch of space, I get all that extra space for storage underneath here.

4) Removing the rear seats just gives me plenty of room. So, I just put in this single-person hiking air mattress down in here. And it is perfect, and just crawl right in and go to sleep!

5) As for my gear storage, for when I’m traveling. I have my spare gas can, because you never want to get stuck without a spare gas can. I have my 12-volt fridge, which has about a 20- or 30-liter interior capacity. That just runs off a couple 12-volt power ports. Then at night I just unplug it to not drain my battery. But during the day when the car is running it’s perfectly fine. And then my nonfood cold storage I just used a spare tool bag, a big old wide mouth like this, just fill it up with food and it sits right here next beside me, nice and neat.

6) Then my clothes bag will just usually stay up in this back corner here. Easy access to everything. Plenty of room for sleeping, plenty of head room for sitting up. It’s pretty much good to go!

7) It’s one thing to camp, it’s another thing to have a completely blacked out interior for camping which is honestly so much better. So, I built these really cheap, really easy just piece of cardboard with piece of pretty much old bedsheet cut up and then stapled to it. That fits right in the window frame. Pops up in there like that.

8) I have one for this window here. I also have one for the passenger rear door here that pops up right in there. And this one, I have enough slack on the top of the sheet here that I can pull the window down, shove it up in there, put the window back up and it’ll stay, holds itself nice and in place. then it’s nice and blacked out and no light can get in no light can get out, it’s awesome!

9) As for the front window, I didn’t want to use a whole bunch of cardboard in there and I wanted to make it so in case of an emergency, I could easily just pull them down and go get in the driver’s seat and go. So, I pretty much made just a felt cutout in the relative shape of the window. And then it uses binder clips to clip to the top of the window, which then presses up in here underneath the wind shade. Another added benefit is the binder clips help create enough of a gap and then you have a bit of an airflow gap to get fresh air constantly when you’re sleeping. So, both front doors are like that for their window covers.

10) As for the rear window, I took another scrap front window shade cover I had lying around, again stapled a bed sheet to one side so I have a nice blackout, nice and reflective on the inside, keeps you a little bit warmer. That just tucks up inside the front lip up in here, that’s nice and closed, nice and black, show you that quick. As you can see, no one can see in.

11) Now for the front window, I just used a normal window shade cover. And that covers up the whole front of the window there. And makes it nice and easy and super easy to remove if you have to leave in case of an emergency. Yes, this window shade is Star Wars, the front of the Millennium Falcon, everyone sitting there.

No transcript available.

*IN PROCESS OF BEING COMPLETED*

1) Once again it is time to put more new parts on the Sport Trac. Just like before these parts are long overdue for replacement.

2) Here are the new parts going to be installed today. New front brake pads and rotors, new front wheel bearing and hub assemblies, new upper control arms, and new outer tie rod ends. Ignore the lower control arm bushings and ball joints; those may come in a later video.

3) This video focuses on the passenger side of the Sport Trac, but the process is identical on the driver side. First up is jacking the front of the Sport Trac up and sitting it on jack stands. Remove the front tires. Then remove the lower inner fender liner.

4) This is the current state of the old components. Most of the joint boots are torn. The bushing rubber is cracking. The brake pads are worn to metal. The wheel bearings are failing internally causing an ABS Light intermittently on the instrument cluster.

5) To dig into the meat of the work, start by removing the brake caliper. There are 2 ____mm bolts holding the caliper to the caliper carrier.

6) Use a pry-bar-type tool to carefully work the caliper from the carrier and brake pads. Be sure to NOT let the caliper drop and hang by the brake line. Use a bungee cord or piece of wire to hang the caliper up out of the way with no tension on the brake line.

7) Use a ____mm wrench to remove the caliper carrier bolts.

8) After the caliper carrier is removed the brake rotor is removed. A gentle tap with a hammer may be needed to insure proper separation from the wheel hub.

9) Removing this next component is not necessary but does make working in the area easier. Remove the three _____mm bolts holding the shield to the spindle.

*IN PROCESS OF BEING COMPLETED*

1) The rear sway bar is loose in its bushings and the rear end link bushings have disintegrated allowing the end link to shift over and rub against the sway bar. This causes a noticeable squeak when the truck goes over a bump in the road.

2) The rear end links have one bolt at the top and a nut at the bottom by the sway bar. Both are 18mm in size. Vice grips were needed to hold the other side of the bolt for the bottom.

3) Here you can see were the end link has worn down from rubbing on the sway bar.

4) There are four 13mm bolts holding the sway bar to the axle. Due to the positioning of the rear shocks these bolts can be tricky to get to.

5) Cutting the old bushings from the bar was an easier alternative to wiggling them off the ends. The new bushings have slits built in to allow for easy install onto the bar.

6) These are the new components. New bushings for the sway bar and new end links. Replacement end link bushing kits are available if the end links are not abnormally worn and access to a press is available to remove the old bushings.

7) Install is the reverse of removal. Install the rear sway bar to the axle.

8) Install the end links to the sway bar and the body.

9) After any repair to a vehicle, perform a test drive to verify everything is functioning properly and to ensure no bolts or nuts were left loose.

1) I’ve put off fixing this truck as long as possible. My trip to Tuttle Creek back in April definitely didn’t do it any favors either. It’s time to give it a second chance at life.

2) Today I’m starting off easy. Both the front and rear sway bar bushings and end link bushings failed a long time ago. This video is Part 1 of 2, focusing on the front components. Part 2 will be a separate video focusing on the rear components.

3) The first step is to jack up the front of the Sport Trac. Make sure at least one rear wheel is chalked to prevent rollback. Once at the desired height make sure to put jack stands up for safety. Jacking up the front allows the front suspension to decompress and release tension on the sway bars. Removal of the front wheels is not necessary.

4) In a perfect world, one would use two 14mm wrenches to loosen both front sway bar end link pass-through bolts. Because of the dilapidated condition of these end links, vice grips were needed to hold the top nut. Once the pass through bolt is removed, take out the remaining loose components.

5) Next, remove the four 13mm bolts that hold the sway bar to the front sub-frame.

6) Remove the old bushing material and clean the surfaces of the sway bar where the new bushings will sit.

7) These are the new sway bar bushings to be installed along with the new front end links. The order of install for the end links is the pass-through bolt, one washer, a bushing, the sway bar end, another bushing, a washer, the pass-through housing, washer, bushing, control arm, bushing, washer, and finally, the lock nut.

8) Here is a perfect example of trusting Amazon for correct fitment and not double checking the actual size before ordering. These sway bar bushings are meant for a larger bar.

9) Installation is the reverse of removal. Install the new bushings to the sway bar, the sway bar to the front sub-frame, then install the end links. Be careful when tightening as to not over-torque. Over-torquing could cause premature wear and failure of the bushings and end links.

10) After any repair to a vehicle, perform a test drive to verify everything is functioning properly and to ensure no bolts or nuts were left loose.

11) For the rear sway bar replacement, see part 2, linked below.

No transcript available.

No transcript available.

No transcript available.

No transcript available.